Morocco becomes African Development Bank's top partner in 2025, surpassing South Africa and Nigeria
via Le Matin3 min read
In 2025, the African Development Bank Group maintained strong approval levels, totaling 8.11 billion Units of Account UC, equivalent to 9.45 billion euros, despite a challenging international environment. These commitments supported 259 operations across 50 African countries, with disbursements reaching 5.24 billion UC 6.11 billion euros, the highest in five years. Morocco emerged as the leading individual beneficiary, securing 1.079 billion UC 1.257 billion euros, which represents over 13% of the Bank Group's total approvals for the continent. Notable operations in Morocco included a $518 million partial credit guarantee for OCP to mobilize green financing and $173 million for the Communal Equipment Fund. South Africa ranked second with 860.1 million UC 1.002 billion euros, followed by Nigeria in third place with 769.9 million UC 897 million euros. C么te d'Ivoire, Algeria, Tanzania, Benin, Niger, Botswana, and Uganda completed the top 10 beneficiaries. Regionally, West Africa received the largest share of approvals, with 2.34 billion UC 2.73 billion euros, accounting for 29% of the continental total, driven by significant volumes in Nigeria, C么te d'Ivoire, and Benin. North Africa followed with 2.05 billion UC 2.39 billion euros, or 25% of the total, with Morocco being the primary recipient, ahead of Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisia. Southern Africa ranked third with 1.87 billion euros, representing 20% of the total, led by South Africa and Botswana. East Africa received 1.64 billi
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Morocco has launched its first national program to combat gender-based stereotypes, initiated with the support of the United Nations Population Fund UNFPA. The program aims to promote equality and fight all forms of discrimination against women by mobilizing institutional actors, civil society, and the media, and strengthening collective commitment. It is structured around five strategic areas: family, education, media and digital space, work and economic participation, and public space and citizenship. It also includes priority measures and mechanisms for governance, monitoring, and evaluation. Na茂ma Ben Yahia, Minister of Solidarity, Social Inclusion and Family, stated that the program is a significant milestone in the societal project championed by King Mohammed VI to advance justice, equality, and equal opportunities. She added that it seeks to raise awareness and embed a culture of equality between women and men, while strengthening Moroccan women's rights and ensuring their rightful place in society. Abdeljabbar Rachidi, Secretary of State for Social Inclusion, emphasized that building an equitable society requires not only laws and public policies, but also an evolution of thought patterns, mental representations, and cultural transformation to counter stereotypes and deconstruct prejudices. He noted Morocco's progress in promoting equality due to Royal Directives, constitutional provisions, and international commitments, calling for continued mobilization and accelera
Tanger Med Port Authority TMPA has achieved a significant milestone by obtaining its first financial ratings from Moody's Ratings and Standard & Poor's Global Ratings. Moody's Ratings assigned TMPA a Baa3 rating with a stable outlook, also providing a Scorecard-Indicated Outcome of Baa1 by the end of 2025, which is three notches above the sovereign rating. Standard & Poor's Global Ratings gave TMPA a BBB- rating, also with a stable outlook, and a stand-alone credit profile of "bbb". Both agencies highlighted several structural strengths of the port operator, including its geostrategic location at the center of major intercontinental maritime routes, its leadership in transshipment in the Western Mediterranean, and the quality of its client portfolio. This portfolio includes major global shipping companies such as A.P. Moller-Maersk, CMA CGM, and Hapag-Lloyd, all bound by long-term concession contracts. The agencies also noted TMPA's pricing flexibility, commercial resilience, and its strategic role in integrating Morocco into global markets. Tanger Med Port Authority stated that these ratings, which follow a four-year process with international agencies, aim to enhance financial transparency and governance, and strengthen its credibility with international investors for funding its development program.
Airports of Morocco has announced the widespread implementation of a 100% mobile boarding pass system, named "Pax Check," to enhance the digital transformation of passenger journeys in Moroccan airports. This innovation allows travelers to complete their entire airport process using only their smartphone, eliminating the need for printed boarding passes. After online check-in via their airline's application, passengers receive a secure QR code boarding pass on their mobile device. Document checks are performed in advance by airlines, facilitating smoother passage through control points and automated gates without paper documents. Airports of Morocco states that this initiative aims to simplify passenger steps, reduce document handling, and ease movement within terminals, while maintaining high safety and security standards. The deployment will be gradual, involving airlines that meet the necessary technical, operational, and regulatory requirements. This is presented as a first step towards a more digital airport experience, adapting to evolving traveler habits and increasing air traffic.