World Bank extends USD 600 mln for Morocco’s public performance improvement

The World Bank's Board of Directors has approved USD 600 million for Morocco, which will finance two projects to improve public service delivery, inclusiveness, and the performance of the public sector. The first project, "Supporting the Implementation of SOE Reform in Morocco" (USD 350 million), is designed to improve the governance, restructuring, competitive neutrality, and performance monitoring of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), the bank said in a press release. It will do so by strengthening the state's state-ownership functions, improving SOE governance and management practices, fostering performance monitoring - including climate impacts- and providing a framework for fair competition. The additional financing for the 'Public Sector Performance' (ENNAJAA) program (US$250 million) will continue support for the Moroccan government's efforts to enhance performance and transparency, focusing on modernizing public administration through digitization and reforms in public financial management, it added. " The ultimate aim of these two projects is to enhance the performance of the public sector and elevate the quality of public services delivered to Moroccan citizens. This is in line with Morocco's New Development Model, which stresses the need for a paradigm shift to promote inclusive, private-sector-led growth," said Jesko Hentschel, Country Director for the Maghreb and Malta at the World Bank. The World Bank has supported the Moroccan government in the initial stages and implementation of SOE reform by focusing on results, strengthening the reform implementation capacity of the two implementing agencies, the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the newly created state ownership agency, and encouraging coordination, he said. "The reform of SOEs is high on Morocco's agenda, as highlighted by the last Council of Ministers chaired by His Majesty King Mohammed VI on June 1. With a vision of a prosperous Morocco, the aim is to reconfigure the public portfolio, improve its performance, and carry out reforms to ens ure accessible, high-quality public services to the people," added Jesko Hentschel. Source: Kuwait News Agency