The African Development Bank (AfDB) has saluted the courage, dedication, and work of Moroccan emergency teams deployed in the Al Haouz region following the devastating September 8 earthquake in the country.

The bank’s Vice President for Regional Development, Integration, and Service Delivery, Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbadé, said this in a statement issued on AfDB’s website on Sunday.

Ms Akin-Olugbadé, who was in Morocco as a participant in the 2023 IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings, led a delegation to visit Ouirgane.

She took a tour of one of the emergency mobile health units set up to treat victims of the disaster to ease pressure on hospitals in Marrakesh.

The earthquake killed nearly 3,000 people and injured more than 5,000.

“Our thoughts are with the victims of this earthquake.

“I am impressed by how quickly the Kingdom and the Moroccan people got to work to rebuild the country, despite losing loved ones.

“Morocco’s mobile medical units form part of the African Development Bank’s health sector interventions to provide better coverage in remote areas.

“Each unit provides patient-centred medical care through telemedicine involving general practitioners and specialists. These units are mobilised speedily to care for the injured in an emergency,” she said.

While expressing condolences to the victims, Ms Akin-Olugbadé applauded the effectiveness of the mobile health centres and their speedy response to the disaster.

She also lauded “the decisive leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI”.

At the Yacoub Al-Mansour dam, located 30 kilometres from the earthquake’s epicentre, Ms Akin-Olugbade praised the effectiveness and resilience of Moroccan hydraulic infrastructure.

“Morocco’s experience in the construction of dams and associated studies shows it can build hydraulic infrastructure that today demonstrates its resilience.

“It is ensuring the continuity of water supplies and guaranteeing the region’s safety,” she said.

According to her, the dam, financed by the Bank Group in 1978, supplies Marrakesh’s drinking water treatment plant, covering the needs of more than two million people.

She said the AfDB had continued to invest in the country’s utilities, working with the Moroccan National Electricity and Drinking Water Agency.

Ms Akin-Olugbade said, “The bank is committed to working with Morocco to carry out new projects, and we shall continue to achieve beautiful things together.”

(NAN)