The Association of Regions of Morocco (ARM) and the French Development Agency (AFD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish close cooperation in support of sustainable and inclusive regional development, a central pillar of Morocco’s Advanced Regionalization process.
The agreement was signed Tuesday in Paris during the third Franco-Moroccan interregional commission, held to mark the conclusion of the “Regions 2021” Program. Signing on behalf of the two parties were Mbarka Bouaida, president of ARM, and Rémy Rioux, CEO of AFD, in the presence of Carole Delga, president of Régions de France; Samir Goudar, president of the Marrakech-Safi Region; Abdelouahed El Ansari, president of the Fez-Meknes Region; and François Bonneau, president of the Centre-Val de Loire Region.
The memorandum reflects a shared commitment by ARM and AFD to support Moroccan regions in implementing initiatives that promote sustainable development and accelerate decentralized cooperation, building on previous joint efforts between French and Moroccan regions, the two institutions said in a joint statement.
According to the statement, the collaboration aims to mobilize financing and technical expertise in key areas such as climate change adaptation, territorial marketing, circular economy, sustainable mobility, and digital transformation.
The partnership will also help highlight regional innovations and foster technical exchanges through study visits, networking, and thematic seminars held in both France and Morocco. It is aligned with the AFD Group’s 2025–2030 strategy, which prioritizes sustainable development, the preservation of global commons, and support for regional dynamics at the international level, the statement noted.
The “Regions 2021” program was developed under a strategic partnership between ARM, Régions de France, and the Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée Region, with financial support from AFD through its FICOL (Local Government Financing Facility) instrument and institutional backing from the General Directorate of Local Authorities (DGCT) of Morocco’s Ministry of the Interior.
The program facilitated the organization of seminars and training sessions bringing together elected officials from Moroccan and French regions, as well as experts in territorial development and spatial planning.
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