AfDB Loans Morocco $204 Million to Improve Social Protection
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has granted Morocco a $204 million loan, destined to finance the Social Protection Improvement Support Program (PAAPS).
The loan, extended over 4 years, will back an integrated support program for the improvement of social protection in Morocco, the aim being to achieve 80 per cent social security coverage in Morocco by 2023.
The program covers several components, notably the construction of hospital centers in Guelmim and Ouarzazate, and the upgrading of some 100 hospital units in rural areas and 31 social protection facilities in the regions of Béni Mellal-Khénifra, Guelmim-Oued Noun and Darâa-Tafilalet, said minister of Economy & Finance Mohamed Benchaaboun, during the signing ceremony of the loan agreement Friday in Rabat.
Resident representative of AfDB office in Morocco, Leila Farah Mokaddem, said the program will help strengthen medical coverage, particularly through the Medical Assistance Scheme (RAMED) and extension of medical coverage for self-employed workers.
The PAAPS will also allow the improvement of care to people with specific needs as it provides for the rehabilitation of 144 social protection institutions, the establishment of the integrated hospital information system, and the equipment of Primary health care establishments with telemedicine tools, to allow a permanent exchange of information between all hospital structures across regions, Leila Farah Mokaddem said.
She also noted that this operation consolidates the continuity of AfDB support to Morocco in the field of social protection with a series of operations initiated 15 years ago, reiterating that the objective is to broaden social protection, particularly for people with disabilities, children and vulnerable women in the most remote regions.
AfDB, Morocco’s decades-long partner, provides the Kingdom with financial support in a wide range of sectors, making it the largest recipient of loans on the African continent.
In 2019, AfDB provided funding for 35 projects in Morocco for a total investment of about $3 billion, according to a synthetic review of the bank’s results from September 2019.
The funding covered the sectors of energy (31.5%), transpor-tation (19.8%), water and sanitation (15.5%), as well as mul-ti-sectoral and social development operations (12.7%).
AfDB funding also focused on the private sector (11.2%) and agriculture (9.4%).
