The world recently gathered in Marrakech, Morocco, for the annual World Bank/International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings.

The meetings, scheduled for 2020, were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and came 50 years after similar meetings were last hosted on the African continent, the 1973 meetings in Nairobi, Kenya.

The organisers remained undeterred by the devastating earthquake that struck Marrakech and other parts of Morocco in September, opting to proceed with the scheduled meeting.

In a joint statement issued before the event, Ajay Banga, the World Bank president, Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the IMF, and Nadia Fettah Alaoui, the Minister of Economy and Finance for the Kingdom of Morocco, affirmed that the meetings would proceed with adjustments to accommodate the prevailing circumstances.

They emphasised that following the earthquake on September 8, the staff of the World Bank and the IMF had collaborated closely with Moroccan authorities and experts to conduct a thorough evaluation of Marrakech’s suitability to host the meetings.

“In undertaking this assessment, key considerations were that the meetings would not disrupt vital relief and reconstruction efforts and that the safety of the participants could be assured.

“Based on a careful review of the findings, the management of the World Bank and IMF, with the Moroccan authorities, have agreed to proceed with holding the 2023 annual meetings in Marrakech.

“The meetings will be conducted in a way that does not hamper the relief efforts and respects the victims and Moroccan people.

“At this very difficult time, we believe that the annual meetings also provide an opportunity for the international community to stand by Morocco and its people, who have once again shown resilience in the face of tragedy.

“We also remain committed to ensuring the safety of all participants,” they said.

At the Marrakech Menara Airport, hundreds of residents came with vehicles to convey delegates to their destination at exorbitant fees.

As it turned out, the city is also a huge tourism destination, with hordes of visiting tourists, mostly Asians and Europeans, jostling for space with delegates for annual meetings of the Bretton Woods institutions.

Some homeowners in the city also vacated their homes and rented them out to delegates and tourists, charging between $300 to $3000 for the one-week duration of the meetings.

A taxi driver, Abubakar Awal, told journalists that residents of Marrakech were happy with the presence of many participants from across the world for the meetings.

(NAN)