World Bank Invests $250 Million in Morocco’s Northeast Development, Boosting Nador Port Project

This financing will help improve transport connectivity and promote private sector growth in this territory, particularly around the development of the Nador West Med (NWM) industrial-port complex.

More specifically, the project concerns the development of a roadmap for priority investments, the rehabilitation of 500 kilometers of rural roads and the strengthening of the skills of 5,000 young workers, with a particular focus on women and young people in rural areas. It will also support reforms aimed at increasing private investment by $30 million in the region and rehabilitating 170 kilometers of main roads.

The objective is to "reduce geographical disparities, while strengthening competitiveness and promoting greater prosperity for the region by creating favorable conditions for job creation by the private sector and opening up prospects for economic inclusion," said Jesko Hentschel, World Bank Country Director for the Maghreb and Malta.

For her part, Anne-Cécile Souhaid, Senior Transport Specialist at the World Bank and project manager, stressed that "this project will boost the economic potential of northeastern Morocco and improve the overall investment climate."