The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is signing a €40 million loan agreement with the National Ports Agency (ANP). This financing is intended to facilitate climate resilience in the port sector in Morocco.
The Moroccan port sector benefits from a 40-million-dollar financing. It is granted by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Of this funding, €15 million represents a committed loan and €25 million in uncommitted capital. The loan will be complemented by a $5.7 million investment grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The financing is being provided to the National Ports Agency (ANP), a public body under the technical supervision of the Moroccan Ministry of Equipment and Water. With the EBRD loan, the ANP intends to set up a working group, including the main stakeholders of the Moroccan port sector, to facilitate informed and climate-sensitive decision-making, as well as better environmental management and standards of the agency.
EBRD technical support
“The project is in line with Morocco’s national strategic management plan, as the ANP is called upon to play a key role in large-scale infrastructure projects to keep pace with the development of maritime transport and trade outside Morocco,” explains Nizar Baraka, the Moroccan Minister of Equipment and Water.
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To support the implementation of these climate resilience initiatives in the management of Moroccan ports, the EBRD will back its loan with a comprehensive technical capacity package, financed to the tune of $1 million, as well as an additional $500,000 in GEF funding. In addition, the EBRD promises “additional technical assistance to support effective project implementation and monitoring, as well as improved financial reporting standards for the PNA.
These various arrangements should enable the implementation of the Moroccan government’s climate change resilience initiatives in the ports of this North African country. In addition to the transfer of skills and the strengthening of the technical capacities of port operators, the ANP plans to improve infrastructures in order to strengthen their resilience to climate change. The agency does not exclude investment in the construction of new climate resilient ports. As part of this approach, an assessment, adaptation and replacement process will be followed to prioritise infrastructure rehabilitation initiatives.
Jean Marie Takouleu
