Morocco has secured €348m in European funding to help tackle growing water shortages and strengthen the country’s water infrastructure.
The programme was launched in Rabat on Tuesday by the Ministry of Equipment and Water, the European Union, Germany, France and Italy.
The package includes €48m in EU grants and €300m in low-interest loans. The loans will be provided equally by the French Development Agency (AFD), Germany’s KfW development bank and Italy’s Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP).
The funding will support four key areas: improving monitoring of water resources, strengthening drought and flood management, protecting water quality and biodiversity, and preserving underground water reserves.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka said water security is a matter of national sovereignty for Morocco. He said the programme fits into the country’s efforts to deal with years of drought and the growing impact of climate change, in line with the vision of King Mohammed VI.
The initiative is part of the Morocco-EU Green Partnership signed in 2022 and the Pact for the Mediterranean adopted in 2025. It also supports Morocco’s National Water Plan and the National Programme for Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation for 2020-2027.
The funding reflects its commitment to working with Morocco on climate adaptation and sustainable management of natural resources.
Part of the funding will go towards improving water monitoring systems, strengthening flood warning networks, supporting wastewater recycling projects and protecting underground aquifers that are under pressure from overuse.
The programme comes as Morocco faces increasing water stress. Renewable water availability per person has fallen from around 2,560 cubic metres in 1960 to an estimated 565 cubic metres in 2026, close to the international threshold for absolute water scarcity.
Agriculture uses more than 80% of the country’s freshwater resources, making water availability a critical issue for food production and economic activity.
Morocco is also investing heavily in dams, water transfer projects and desalination plants to reduce its dependence on rainfall. The country aims to produce 1.4 billion cubic metres of desalinated water a year by 2030.
One of the biggest projects is the Casablanca desalination plant, which is expected to become the largest of its kind in Africa when it starts operating in 2027.
The new programme forms part of Morocco’s wider water strategy, which runs until 2050 and is expected to require nearly $45bn in investment.
