EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Develo : Vice President Heilbronn visits Morocco to deepen cooperation

Pierre Heilbronn, the EBRD Vice President of Policy and Partnerships, is visiting Morocco from 24 to 29 January for meetings with the government and to speak at the IMF conference 'Opportunity for All: Promoting Growth, Jobs and Inclusiveness in the Arab World' in Marrakesh.

The visit also marks the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Finance represented by Minister Mohammed Boussaid, the EBRD Governor, to boost green economy financing in the country.

Mr Heilbronn will also sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Mustapha Bakkoury, the President of the Region Casablanca-Settat, to create a collaboration framework for the development of the private sector and intra-regional integration.

The EBRD's delegation includes Marie-Alexandra Veilleux-Laborie, EBRD Director for Morocco.

During his visit Mr Heilbronn will meet Abdelouafi Laftit, Minister of Interior; Aziz Rebbah, Minister of Energy; and Abdellatif Jouahri, Central Bank Governor.

Mr Heilbronn will also meet Miriem Bensalah Chaqroun, President of the General Confederation of Enterprises of Morocco (CGEM); Abderrahim El Hafidi, the Acting CEO of Office National de l'Electricité et de l'Eau Potable (ONEE) and State Secretary of Energy; Amina Benkhadra, General Manager of Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM); and Abdellah Moutaqi, ONHYM General Secretary.

Mr Heilbronn's meetings in Morocco will also include the international community, specifically the Finnish Minister of Energy, Environment and Housing, Kimmo Tiilikainen.

Ahead of the visit, Mr Heilbronn said: 'We are committed to further support the Moroccan economy, developing the private sector, driving forward green investments and regional trade. Equally, we aim to support the government in its decentralisation agenda. I look forward to the discussions on how we can work together even more closely and effectively.'

In Marrakech, Mr Heilbronn will speak at the IMF conference about 'Making Transparency Work for Inclusive Growth'.

Morocco is a founding member of the EBRD and became a country of operations in 2012. To date, the Bank has invested over €1.5 billion in 36 projects in the country. The Bank has also supported close to 400 Moroccan SMEs by providing business advisory services.