The World Bank’s Board of executive directors has approved a USD 250 million program to support municipal solid waste management in Morocco, the group said in a press release on Tuesday.
The World Bank said that the program will enhance the financial and environmental performance by supporting key reforms and priority investments.
It also highlighted that over 60% of Morocco’s population lives in urban areas, noting that the country’s new development model focuses on improving quality of life and the attractiveness of urban centers.
The company commended the Moroccan government for prioritizing municipal solid waste management, which has been significantly improved over the past two decades. The national management program’s , progress includes an increase in urban waste collection coverage from 40% in 2008 to 96% in 2022.
The World Bank also noted that in 2023, Morocco launched its current National Program for Municipal Waste Management and Recovery, pointing out environmentally sustainable practices, such as reducing landfill use and improving waste recovery.
The new program hopes to directly contribute to achieving the goals of this initiative. It aims to enhance the financial and environmental performance of the area while strengthening governance, policies, and management.
According to the press release, the program will modernize the management of several controlled landfills, expand waste recovery efforts with financially sustainable business models, close and rehabilitate abandoned uncontrolled dumpsites, identify additional revenue sources for the sector, and support tracking and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions in alignment with Morocco’s commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Mustapha Ndiaye, the World Bank’s Regional Director for the Maghreb and Malta, stated that this new program “builds on long-term work in the municipal solid waste management sector and complements the government’s efforts to improve local service delivery, enhance citizens’ quality of life, and support Morocco’s climate adaptation and mitigation goals.”
He added that the current partnership framework “underscores the need to improve the delivery of key urban infrastructure services.”
The press release also noted the program benefits from technical assistance and funding from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF).