(3 minutes read
· Morocco is accelerating its spending spree in its southern provinces as part of the country’s vision to make the region a central pillar of its aspirations to be a regional leader in terms of investments and development projects
· The investments are largely focused at extending drinking water, electricity, sanitation and improving the infrastructure network
· The Moroccan authorities maintained that electricity supplies to the Southern part of Morocco was a mere seven megawatts in 1975 during Spanish occupation. Now it has surged to 1700 megawatts
Morocco is accelerating its spending spree in its southern provinces as part of the country’s vision to make the region a central pillar of its aspirations to be a regional leader in terms of investments and development projects. The investments are largely focused at extending drinking water, electricity, sanitation and improving the infrastructure network. A total investment of MAD 30 billion has already been made in this regard. The reunification of southern regions had taken place in 1976.
The Moroccan authorities maintained that electricity supplies to the Southern part of Morocco was a mere seven megawatts in 1975 during Spanish occupation. Now it has surged to 1700 megawatts. Also, a lot of importance is being given to tapping renewable energy in the region.
The authorities also pointed out that considerable progress has been made by the region in several fronts including supply of drinking water. During the Spanish occupation water availability did not exceed 5000 cubic meters, whereas it now stands at 160,000 cubic meters.
The Moroccan official also pointed out that efforts are underway to make the region an investment hub by laying down a sound infrastructure network. The government is planning to unveil a plan to allocate over MAD 300 million (US$33 million) for giving a boost to the infrastructure sector in the region.