Kingdom of Morocco

Berrechid – Beni Mellal Motorway
Loan No: 549 Interest Rate: 3.0 %
Beneficiary: Société Nationale des Autoroutes du Maroc (ADM) Grace Period: 5 years
Project Cost: KD 221.0 million Maturity: 22 years
Amount of Loan: KD 55.0 million Repayment: 35 semi-annual installments
Date of Board Approval: - First Installment: 5 years following the first disbursement
Date of Loan Agreement: 2010-03-03 Date of Loan Effectiveness: 2029-02-11

Objectives:

The project aims at improving land transportation services on the road network in Morocco to accommodate the rapidly growing road traffic and reduce traffic accidents. This project also contributes to the economic and social development of the middle regions of Morocco and links them to the rest of the motorway network, as well as facilitates land transportation between those regions and the main cities in Morocco, especially Casablanca, the economic capital of the country.

Description:

The project, which is expected to be completed before the end of 2011, consists of the construction of Tangier and Tantan water production facilities, as well as technical services required for the implementation of these works. The following is a description of the main project components:

  1. Motorway Construction: This includes civil works related to the construction of the motorway, drainage works, construction of over-passes and under-passes, as well as construction of main bridges over valleys.
  2. Ancillary Works: This includes traffic lights and other safety equipment, maintenance workshops, toll stations and related equipment. It also includes extending and restoring the services affected by the project such as water pipelines, telephone and electricity lines.
  3. Project Management: This includes setting up a project implementation unit to manage the project execution, providing consultancy services to assist in project supervision and implementation of the technical aspects of the project, as well as acquiring the services of specialized quality control laboratories.

Financing:

The Arab Fund’s loan covers about 25.0% of the total project cost. The Chinese Government also contributes to the financing of the project with a loan of approximately KD 72.0 million (about 33.0%), and the European Investment Bank is expected to provide a loan of approximately KD 44.0 million (about 20.0%). ADM and the Moroccan Government will cover the remaining cost of the project and any additional cost that may arise.