Where does Morocco stand in the field of the blue economy? Two and a half years after the launch of the « Blue Economy Development Program in Morocco » (PPR EB), with a budget of 350 million dollars, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the World Bank (WB) assessed the progress made in implementing the program’s components and indicators. The institution made recommendations to strengthen the implementation of the program.
The mission began with a plenary session bringing together all the stakeholders of the « PPR EB » and the World Bank. The involved actors presented the progress of completed projects and the necessary adjustments to optimize the program’s execution. Analysis meetings focused on the fiduciary, environmental, and social reports, highlighting identified issues and proposed corrective measures.
According to the mid-term report unveiled, a satellite image-based mapping of the coastline has covered 1.69 million hectares out of the planned 3.95 million. Regarding the monitoring of bathing waters, 184 beaches have been monitored since the start of the program, out of 204 planned, while the mobile application « Iplages » has been launched. Additionally, 16 aquaculture projects have been initiated with the National Agency for Aquaculture Development (ANDA), one of which is already operational. The program also allowed for the evaluation of 14 fish stocks out of the 15 planned, with direct at-sea and coastal zone analysis, in collaboration with the National Institute for Fisheries Research (INRH).
The mid-term report also covers the creation of the Agadir Marine Protected Area through the publication of Decree No. 2.24.439 in the Official Bulletin on February 20, after the completion of the legal process. Furthermore, 7,405 hectares of coastal forests and 259 hectares of coastal dunes have been restored.
On the tourism front, promotional campaigns for seaside destinations reached nearly 1.9 billion contacts, and progress was made in creating and transforming 100 small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (TPMEs) in three priority regions.
Source: leconomiste
