AfDB Approves €100M to Empower Women and Youth in Moroccan Agriculture
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a €100 million loan to support Morocco’s new Inclusive and Solidarity-Based Agriculture Program. The initiative is aimed at empowering women and youth entrepreneurs in rural areas while advancing inclusive and sustainable agricultural development.
The program seeks to generate long-term economic opportunities, improve food security, and enhance the resilience of small-scale farmers to the impacts of climate change. By promoting rural entrepreneurship, the initiative will support women and youth through tailored financing tools, incentive schemes, and strengthened technical and financial support systems.
A key focus of the project is to help women become more involved in agricultural value chains by providing infrastructure, training, and access to modern farming technologies. These interventions are expected to increase productivity, foster the emergence of women-led businesses, and drive innovation across the agriculture, agro-processing, and digital sectors.
“Women who have the ambition to undertake and succeed in agriculture are our priority,” said Achraf Tarsim, head of the AfDB country office in Morocco. “Through this new operation, we will support them step-by-step to build a modern, inclusive, and resilient agriculture sector capable of unlocking the full potential of those who aspire to innovate and create value.”
This financing aligns with Morocco’s Green Generation 2020–2030 Strategy, which outlines a national roadmap for transforming the agriculture sector into a more inclusive, efficient, and sustainable engine for development. It also supports the National Solidarity Agriculture Program and the National Youth Entrepreneurship Program.
The African Development Bank has been a longstanding development partner to Morocco, having invested nearly €15 billion in over 150 high-impact projects across strategic sectors such as transport, energy, water, agriculture, social protection, governance, and finance over the last five decades.
