This will be van Trotsenburg’s first official visit to Morocco as Managing Director of Operations of the World Bank, says a statement by the institution, noting that during his visit he will meet with senior government officials as well as representatives of the private sector, civil society organizations, think tanks and youth, in the run-up to the 2023 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, which will be held in Marrakech from 9 to 15 October 2023.

“The upcoming Annual Meetings in Morocco will be an excellent opportunity to build and strengthen relationships within the international community, while advancing dialogue on key development priorities. Preparations for these meetings are well underway, and we will continue to work closely with the Government of Morocco and the International Monetary Fund over the coming months to make the Annual Meetings a success,” van Trotsenburg was quoted as saying in the statement.

“The meetings will also be an opportunity to showcase Morocco’s development successes, and I look forward to seeing some of these achievements in person during this visit,” he added.

On February 21, van Trotsenburg will co-chair a global gender equity event, “Empowering Women to Shape the Future of Jobs,” in Benguerir.

This event is jointly organized by the World Bank, the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P). This high-level meeting will discuss the role of women – as leaders and agents of change in the labor market and within economies – in light of the structural changes and green transition facing countries around the world.

Van Trotsenburg will be accompanied by the World Bank’s vice president for the Middle East and North Africa, Ferid Belhaj, and director for the Maghreb and Malta, Jesko Hentschel.

The World Bank is currently financing 23 projects in Morocco, with a total volume of $6.01 billion (MAD 62 billion). The projects cover a variety of socio-economic initiatives aimed at advancing national development, poverty reduction, and social inclusion while addressing or mitigating the effects of climate change on the country’s economy, particularly in the agricultural sector.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse