Morocco’s Ambassador to the United States Youssef Amrani met with the President of the World Bank (WB), Ajay Banga, on Thursday in Washington to discuss a new joint roadmap to strengthen cooperation between Morocco and the Bretton Woods institution.
During the meeting, the Moroccan Ambassador said that “the multitude of opportunities and the longstanding trust between Morocco and the WB is a strong reason for both parties’ shared desire to build stronger and broader convergences together.”
He highlighted the partnership “as crucial for fostering progress through more ambitious and targeted channels of interaction to facilitate continuous exchanges at all levels.”
The official went on to say that such structuring of the partnership as outlined in the joint roadmap “is imperative, driven by the two parties’ shared vision and the substantial increase in cooperation projects across various highly strategic and priority areas for Morocco and its international partners, such as education, agriculture, health, water, and energy.”
He also noted “the crucial role of the WB operations in knowledge transfer and expertise, particularly in integrated risk management, inclusive development, and climate issues, in alignment with government policies seeking to improve macroeconomic stability and effectively implementing development strategies in various sectors.”
Amrani also observed that King Mohammed VI’s Atlantic Initiative “reflects Morocco’s commitment to promote regional prosperity through collaboration and solidarity for inclusive development and security.”
Banga applauded Morocco’s successful hosting of the Annual Meetings of the WB and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Marrakech in October 2023, acknowledging the country as a “model of resilience and crisis management through targeted government actions.”
The WB President noted that the Bank’s new priorities for Southern countries will “focus on job creation in electrification, infrastructure, health, agribusiness, and tourism.”
The President said he was pleased that the partnership with Morocco will promote job creation in the private sector, enhance human capital, and support the fight against climate change. “The bank will focus on increasing women’s participation in the labor market and digital transition,” he added.
The WB and the IMF held their Annual Meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, on October 9, 2023. Around 14,000 participants and more than 189 member states of the IMF and the WB, including leaders in the public sector (central banks, ministries of finance and development, MPs) and the private sector, as well as civil society organizations, youth, media and academic researchers participated.