As part of the strengthening of ties of friendship and cooperation between Morocco and Japan, the Minister of Economy, Finance and Administration Reform Mohamed Benchaâboun, and the Ambassador of Japan to Morocco Takashi Shinozuka, signed, on 2 December 2020, an exchange of notes on loan of 200 Mln dollars.
Following the signing
of the exchange of notes forming the agreement between the two governments, and
in order to initiate the procedures for activating this financing, the loan
agreement related to this project was signed between Mr. Mohamed Benchaaboun
and Mr. Yokota Keniji, Deputy Resident Representative of the Japanese Agency
for International Cooperation in the Kingdom of Morocco.
Co-financed with the
African Development Bank (AfDB) under the ACFA (Accelerated Co-Financing
Facility for Africa) program, this budget support by Japan aims to support
Morocco's efforts to face the health, social and economic crisis caused by the
pandemic, by quickly making additional resources available to the Kingdom to
carry out health and social emergency interventions and improve the resilience
of the national economy.
Japan’s
support to Morocco responds to the goals outlined in the Covid-19 response
program: 1- Strengthening the health system; 2-expanding the social security
system; 3- financially supporting small and mid-sized businesses.
The
signing ceremony is a testament to the excellent cooperation relations and ties
of friendship between Morocco and Japan, as well as the importance of the areas
of intervention of this cooperation, which aligns with the priorities of the
Moroccan government.
During
the signing ceremony, the Moroccan Minister and Japanese Ambassador commended
the quality of the relationship between the two countries and affirmed their
will to work together towards consolidating bilateral ties.
It is an
occasion to recall that the Japanese government, through its JICA , which has
been active in Morocco for more than 50 years,
has been contributing to several cooperation programs, by supporting Japanese yen loan projects, donations, and
technical assistance, including sending Japanese volunteers.
The first
yen loan under public aid for development in Morocco dates back to 1976. Since
then, more than 37 loan projects have been implemented in Morocco, worth 310
billion yen (equivalent to about 27 billion dirhams) in various fields in order
to support sustainable development in the country and addressing social and
spatial disparities.