Rabat, September 18, 2026 – The Europe Today: Morocco and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have signed two financing agreements totaling €405 million to support the expansion of the country’s high-speed railway network and strengthen vocational training.
The agreements were signed in Rabat by Moroccan Minister Delegate for the Budget Fouzi Lekjaa and AfDB Country Manager for Morocco Achraf Hassan Tarsim, in the presence of Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills Younes Sekkouri and National Office of Railways (ONCF) Director General Mohamed Rabie Khlie.
Under the first agreement, worth €205 million, the AfDB will finance the Railway Infrastructure Development Support Project, aimed at strengthening the capacity and operational performance of the Kenitra-Marrakech railway corridor.
The project will support the extension of Morocco’s high-speed rail line and the modernization of existing railway infrastructure along the strategic corridor. It is expected to improve connectivity between major economic and urban centers, promote more sustainable mobility and strengthen the country’s logistics competitiveness.
The second agreement, valued at €200 million, will support the “Cap Compétences 2030” program, which seeks to improve and diversify vocational training through the digitalization of services, expanded apprenticeship opportunities and stronger mechanisms for integrating young people and women into the labor market.
The program is expected to support employment initiatives over the next five years, including expanded apprenticeship opportunities targeting young people without formal qualifications and improved employment-support services.
Lekjaa said the two projects were significant for Morocco, describing the high-speed rail expansion as an important national undertaking and highlighting the country’s longstanding partnership with the AfDB.
Tarsim said the agreements reflected a shared ambition to prepare Morocco for future economic needs by developing skills and expanding high-speed rail infrastructure, creating additional opportunities, employment and sustainable economic growth.
The African Development Bank has been a longstanding development partner of Morocco. Since 1978, it has mobilized more than €15 billion to finance over 150 projects in sectors including transport, human development, water, agriculture and energy.
