The French Development Agency to invest in the Western Sahara region
The French Development Agency (AFD) intends to invest in the Western Sahara region, which will strengthen the economic partnership between France and Morocco.
This French public institution aims to finance initiatives that improve living conditions, promote economic progress and protect natural resources, particularly in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. The AFD currently has more than 4,000 projects in 115 countries.
To develop initiatives in southern Morocco, AFD Director General Rémy Rioux announced that he will visit Laayoune and Dakhla, key cities in the Sahara region, where he will be able to talk to local communities. The decision to invest in the area aligns with what Rioux described as the AFD and Morocco's ‘all-African’ approach, focused on fostering connections across the continent.
‘We see Morocco as a bridge to African countries,’ Rioux told Morocco's official news agency MAP.
The AFD director general also indicated that AFD's expansion in the Sahara reflects the institution's commitment to strengthening Morocco's role as a regional leader in Africa, particularly through economic and environmental initiatives.
As the agency's main partner globally, with investments exceeding 7 billion euros over the past three decades, AFD's partnership with Morocco already spans different sectors, including sustainable agriculture, blue economy projects and port cooperation along the Atlantic axis.
Among the joint ventures is the Agrifinance platform, launched by Morocco's OCP Group with AFD support, which aims to strengthen agricultural value chains across Africa.
The recent visit to Morocco by French President Emmanuel Macron strengthened bilateral ties between the two countries. During his stay in the Kingdom, Rabat and Paris signed six agreements totalling more than 900 million euros in co-investments over the next five years.
These funds are intended to support regions such as Casablanca-Settat and Guelmim-Oued Noun, with a focus on sustainable development and resource management.
During Macron's trip, the AFD also presented initiatives to reinforce Morocco's national water strategy, prioritising the reduction of water stress and sustainable forest management in areas such as the Toubkal massif.
Moreover, socio-economic inclusion, particularly of women and youth, is another priority for AFD, which also allocates resources to social reforms in Morocco.
AFD's decision to invest in Western Sahara comes on the heels of the recent launch of the ‘Morocco-France Investment Accelerator’, a partnership initiative between AFD Group entities, including Proparco and Expertise France, with the Mohammed VI Investment Fund.
This project aims to boost economic recovery through private investment, entrepreneurship and advances in clean energy, especially green hydrogen and sustainable mobility.
