The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is strengthening its role as a strategic partner of Morocco by approving a new total financing of over 207 million euros, aimed at supporting two key priorities of the Kingdom: water security and the development of continental aquaculture.
According to information released following the latest session of the IDB’s Board of Executive Directors, an amount of 188.82 million euros will be allocated to projects aimed at alleviating water stress. These funds will primarily be used for the construction of new dams and related works, securing supplies of drinking and agricultural water, and the transfer of water surpluses from the northern basins to the southern regions, which are more severely affected by the scarcity of resources.
In a context marked by the worsening effects of climate change, this allocation reaffirms the priority of water investments in the Kingdom’s economic sovereignty strategy. Sectorally, Morocco stands out as the main beneficiary of funding dedicated to water and food security during this IDB session.
Targeted Support for the Development of Continental Aquaculture
Concurrently, Morocco will receive an additional financing of 18.23 million euros aimed at developing the value chain of continental aquaculture. This project seeks to enhance inland fisheries, diversify agricultural activities, create new income sources in rural areas, and generate sustainable job opportunities.
With a total of 207.05 million euros, approximately 225 million dollars, Morocco captures nearly 16.5% of the overall amount of 1.365 billion dollars approved for twelve member countries. This level of mobilization positions the Kingdom among the top beneficiaries of this wave of funding, behind major transportation projects in West Africa.
A Financial Partnership Set to Intensify
The IDB’s commitments to Morocco reached 464.5 million dollars in 2024, bringing the total funding provided since 1975 to around 7.5 billion dollars. This momentum is expected to intensify in the coming years, due to the close alignment of the Kingdom’s development strategy with the Bank’s new intervention directions.
Morocco is also eligible for the new Sustainable Finance Framework of the IDB, which has a programmatic ceiling of 10 billion dollars, allowing for the mobilization of green, social, and sustainable Sukuk to finance structural projects, especially in infrastructure, water, and energy transition.
A New Strategic Roadmap for the IDB
These funds are part of the IDB’s new 2026-2035 strategy, which envisions a significant scaling-up of its intervention capacity. The IDB aims to strengthen its positioning as a reference development partner for its member countries by relying on three major levers: tailored solutions for national contexts, the implementation of Islamic finance principles to support sustainable growth, and the allocation of resources to sectors with a high impact on productivity and economic resilience.
In this context, economic infrastructures, particularly in water, energy, and transport, are at the heart of these priorities. For Morocco, this orientation represents an additional strategic opportunity, aligning with its long-term investment programs and its ambitions for sustainable development, water security, and the structural transformation of its economy.