AfDB contributes to sustainability, security of drinking water supply in Morocco with €18 Mln financing

Morocco’s National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) signed an additional €18 million financing agreement to ensure the sustainability and security of drinking water supply in several regions of the Kingdom.

This additional financial assistance will contribute, with the €115 million loan already mobilized in 2018, to finance a program aimed at sustaining and securing the supply of drinking water to the cities of Al Hoceima, Tangier, Guercif, Beni Mellal and Zagora, says the Office in a statement.

The agreement provides for the conveyance of raw water from the planned “Ghriss” dam to the treatment plant of Al Hoceima, the conveyance of raw water from the “Ibn Battouta” dam to the treatment plant Mharhar/Tanger, as well as the reinforcement of the water production of the region of Guercif from the future “Targa Ou Madi” dam, of the treatment capacity for the region of Beni Mellal, and the water production of the region of Zagora from the future “Agdez” dam.

The projects are part of the National Program for Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation 2020-2027 (PNAEPI) whose agreement was inked on January 13, 2020.

Collaboration between ONEE and the AfDB in the drinking water and liquid sanitation sectors dates back to 1978 with a total AfDB financial contribution of about 9 billion dirhams.