Morocco: IFC to support large Moroccan desalination project

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank, signed an agreement on 4 May 2010 with the government of Morocco to support private investment in a new desalination and irrigation plant that will help improve the water supply to a vital agricultural region. 

IFC will advise the Ministry of Agriculture on structuring a public-private partnership to build a 60- 85 million m³/year desalination and irrigation plant in the Chtouka area, a region near the coast that relies heavily on agriculture. The demand for water in the area has grown together with trade to Europe, depleting the aquifer in the region. 

"The desalination and irrigation plant in the Chtouka area will support agriculture, an important industry in Morocco, and help create jobs for the surrounding community," said Rashad Kaldany, IFC vice president for the Middle East and North Africa. IFC will help ensure that the project is financially and environmentally sustainable.