Morocco

From the second half of the 1990s, Morocco introduced series of economic policies including trade liberalization and investment promotion, started National Initiative for Human Development in 2005, a policy for eradicating poverty and reducing social and regional disparities, and have successfully realized strong economic growth and poverty reduction. As a result of the political reforms taken since 2000, the effects of the Arab Spring in North Africa in 2011 were minimized and it did not cause a great deal of political turmoil to the country. Nevertheless, there remain factors for social instability such as a high unemployment rate among the urban young and lagging developing in rural areas. To contribute to rural stability and balanced economic development in Morocco, JICA is focusing on correcting regional and social disparities, and sustainable economic growth. In addition, JICA is providing third country training programs in the areas of road maintenance, agricultural machinery improvement, micro fisheries development, port management and maternal health care for the countries in French-speaking Africa.