Supporting new jobs and technologies in Morocco’s water sector

Context

Poverty dominates life in rural areas and near cities in Morocco. Many people work in precarious jobs in agriculture and the service sector, where the workload fluctuates from season to season and year to year and often depends on whether enough clean water is available. This irregular income makes it hard for many people in rural areas to achieve and maintain a reasonable standard of living.

The difficult job situation is exacerbated by the lack of modern water and sanitation infrastructure. Access to sewerage and modern sanitary facilities is inadequate. According to the Moroccan government’s latest estimates, only 10 per cent of households in rural areas are connected to the sewerage system, compared to 85 per cent of households in cities. Less than 5 per cent of wastewater in rural areas is properly treated.

As living conditions are worse in rural areas, more and more people are migrating to the cities.

Objective

Public investment and private sector support have created long-term jobs in the Moroccan water and wastewater sector. Innovative technologies and specific vocational qualifications have also been developed and introduced.

Approach

The project supports national and regional institutions in developing the water and wastewater sector with public investment and in creating jobs.

The project also promotes the establishment and expansion of an innovative private sector that develops and offers new technologies for water supply and sanitation.

The investments and growing private sector increase demand for staff with suitable qualifications. The project supports training centres in developing relevant training courses.

Last update: June 2023