This major commitment aims to expand employment opportunities through better labor market policies, strengthening the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) fabric, and catalyzing investments in clean energy, energy efficiency, and export-oriented pharmaceutical industries.
This financing, the first of a series of three planned operations, supports Morocco’s Jobs Roadmap in areas where change can truly improve people’s lives. The goal is to create more job opportunities for young people and women by developing intervention programs in the labor market, benefiting over 330,000 job seekers by 2029, and better aligning education and vocational training systems with the needs of the private sector. Female activity will also be supported by adding over 40,000 spots in accredited childcare service offerings and creating 1,200 direct jobs for women in this sector.
Beyond investment climate reforms, this operation also supports measures to enhance the business environment, with a focus on SMEs, as part of broader efforts to promote a more inclusive and resilient economy.
As Morocco works to develop its renewable energy sector, this funding provides timely support to overcome barriers that have thus far kept private investors at bay. It also supports the growth of energy efficiency services and the development of the Moroccan pharmaceutical industry’s presence in international markets, aiming to multiply exports by over seven by 2029.
Given the tight linkages between job creation, business growth, and ecological transition, this program, backed by the World Bank Group, is designed to address these challenges in an integrated manner. It involves addressing youth unemployment, which remains high, and the declining female participation in the labor market, removing cross-cutting and sectoral constraints that hinder private investment from reaching its full potential, and reducing the energy sector’s vulnerability to external shocks while enhancing its competitiveness.
Embedded in Morocco’s ongoing reforms, this operation provides financial support and strategic momentum to accelerate progress. Structured programmatically, it is intended to yield tangible results on the ground. As reforms take root, subsequent operations will deepen the transformation of the investment climate and broaden the prospects for green and inclusive growth, laying the foundation for sustainable change.
“These reforms target one of the most persistent obstacles to job creation in Morocco: the slow emergence of high-growth enterprises. By simultaneously improving the business environment, lifting specific sectoral constraints, and supporting the growth of high-potential businesses, this operation helps create the necessary conditions for companies to grow, overcome financial difficulties, and attract sustainable investments,” highlighted Ahmadou Moustapha Ndiaye, World Bank Division Director for the Maghreb and Malta.
