Morocco, USA launch $18 million socio-economic development program in Beni Mellal-Khenifra

Morocco and the USA have partnered to launch in the Beni Mellal-Khénifra region a socio-economic development program worth $18 million.

The program is meant to promote an inclusive development of the region (North-central Morocco), with focus on the creation of economic opportunities for women, young people, people with special needs, and rural populations.

The “Inclusive Socio-economic Development” (ISED) pilot Program in the Region of Beni Mellal-Khénifra, which spans over five years (2021-2025), aims to support the region achieve its development priorities through strengthening participatory governance and improving opportunities for economic growth and job creation, the USAID said in a press release.

The project was jointly designed by USAID, the Wilaya, the Regional Council, and stakeholders in the region. The collaboration made it possible to identify regional priorities, opportunities, and challenges, while consulting on the best approaches to achieve the set objectives, according to the press release.

The program is part of the US pledge to invest $1 billion in bilateral agreements with Morocco during the next four years as stipulated in the trilateral declaration between Morocco, the United States and Israel, signed in Rabat on December 22, 2020.

Under the Declaration, the US also pledged, through the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to expand American investment in Morocco and Sub-Saharan Africa with an envelope amounting to $5 billion, under the flagship Prosper Africa Initiative, consolidating the Kingdom’s standing as an economic hub for Africa.