Morocco - COVID-19 Response Support Programme (PARC-19)

This proposal relates to an envelope of 264 million euros from the resources of the African Development Bank (AfDB) to contribute to finance the COVID-19 Response Support Programme (PARC-19). This is a crisis response budget support as defined by the COVID-19 Response Facility (CRF) approved by the Board of Directors on 8 April 2020. The programme will support the Moroccan Government’s efforts to tackle the health, social and economic crisis. Supplementary resources will be rapidly provided to the Kingdom to roll out emergency health and social interventions and build the resilience of the national economy. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a strategic high-level dialogue was initiated with the authorities on the emergency measures and the needs identified. The dialogue confirmed the priorities of the programme components. PARC-19 is centred on emergency measures necessary to tackle the COVID-19 crisis. It will help to strengthen the Moroccan health system capacity to detect the virus by granting new authorizations for health centres to carry out tests. Households –including those living off the informal sector–will be supported through targeted indemnities. Businesses too will be supported with enhanced cashflow to further build their resilience to the crisis. Therefore, the programme is structured around two components: (i) Support for the health and social response and (ii) Support for private sector resilience.