The World Bank, through the International Finance Corporation (IFC), its entity dedicated to the private sector, has granted a loan of USD 450 million to Morocco. This envelope will be used to support the strengthening of human capital in the country in the long term.
In a press release this weekend, the Bretton Woods institution stressed that “this loan, which aims to improve early childhood development in rural areas, will finance the third phase of the National Initiative for Human Development. , with an emphasis on the early childhood development axis ”.
“In Morocco, a child born today will only reach 50% of his or her developmental and productive potential by the age of 18. Morocco’s future social and economic trajectory will depend on its ability to accelerate progress in development and the equitable distribution of human capital, ”said the World Bank’s director of operations for the Maghreb, Jesko Hentschel, quoted in the press release. “The program will support essential interventions to strengthen rural populations’ access to quality early childhood development services. “, he added.
The program is designed to support the strategies adopted by the Moroccan authorities to promote the development of children, based on evidence. It appears that the disparities observed to the detriment of children in rural areas of Morocco are linked to their lack of access to quality early childhood development programs and their distance from services focused on nutrition, health and early cognitive stimulation. The program will therefore focus on supporting this full range of services in rural areas.
