Hello everyone, I am Sun Jian, a reporter from China Central Station in Algiers.
On September 8, 2023, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Morocco, which attracted the attention of the world, and I was involved in reporting on the earthquake at that time. As we approach the end of the year, today I would like to talk about the aftermath of the earthquake on Morocco.
Morocco is located in the northwest corner of the African continent, near the junction of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, and is an earthquake-prone region. In addition to causing a large number of casualties, the earthquake that occurred in September had a huge impact and impact on the entire Moroccan economy and society.
The earthquake in Morocco caused serious damage to old houses in the area
The earthquake hit Morocco's tourism industry
Tourism has always been an important pillar of Morocco's economy, and the earthquake has caused damage to some historical sites, which has dealt a blow to the local tourism industry. For example, the old city of Marrakech, which is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, was affected by the earthquake, causing cracks and collapses in some of its walls. In addition, eight archaeological sites in the southern mountainous area were damaged by the earthquake.
The earthquake highlighted the gaps and imbalances in Morocco's regional development. The earthquake struck in remote mountain villages and towns in the south, where houses were old and some villages were completely destroyed. Due to the lack of basic services such as medical care, the victims of the earthquake could not be treated nearby and had to be sent to Marrakech, far away.
The earthquake in Morocco caused part of the walls of the old city of Marrakech to collapse
On the other hand, the post-earthquake repair and reconstruction work will cost a lot of money and budget, which will undoubtedly put great pressure on the country's economic development this year. In the wake of the earthquake, the government had to downgrade its economic growth forecast for this year.
It can be seen that the after-effects of the earthquake have brought crises and challenges to the country's economic and social development in the coming period. However, some analysts believe that the reconstruction of the earthquake-stricken areas is also a rare development opportunity, which will promote the improvement of the relatively backward living environment in the mountainous areas in the south of the country and upgrade the local infrastructure, so as to not only reduce the development imbalance between regions, but also help boost the overall economic growth level of Morocco.
In the aftermath of the earthquake, the Moroccan government quickly launched relief efforts in the affected areas and introduced a series of post-disaster repair and reconstruction measures. On September 20, the Moroccan government announced an allocation of US$12 billion for the reconstruction of housing and infrastructure in the affected areas over the next five years, providing financial assistance to affected families, and encouraging local economic activity and employment.
King Mohammed VI of Morocco presided over an emergency meeting to deploy post-earthquake relief efforts
In response to the damage to some historical sites, Morocco's Ministry of Culture said in November that five damaged sites in the old city of Marrakech had been repaired, while eight archaeological sites in the southern mountains of the country had been damaged by the earthquake, and that the relevant authorities, in collaboration with UNESCO, had developed a comprehensive restoration plan and started to implement the restoration work.
International competitions bring new opportunities for development
Despite the earthquake in Marrakech, the IMF and World Bank Fall 2023 Annual Meetings were held in Marrakech as scheduled, demonstrating the confidence of international financial institutions in Morocco to host the Annual Meetings successfully. The IMF also approved a $1.3 billion loan to Morocco.
The Fall 2023 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank were held in Marrakech, Morocco
On September 27, 2023, Morocco won the right to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. On October 4, FIFA announced that Morocco had won the right to host the 2030 World Cup, along with Spain and Portugal. In anticipation of these two major events, the Moroccan government announced that it will renovate and upgrade the country's existing stadiums and plans to invest in the construction of a new large stadium in the Casablanca region. These infrastructure developments will be the driving force and engine for the country's economic development, and the hosting of international events will provide new development opportunities for the disaster-stricken Morocco.
Morocco won the right to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
Regional relations are moving towards relaxation
Foreign investment remains strong
In the aftermath of the earthquake in Morocco, many countries expressed their willingness to provide assistance. In particular, Algeria, which has severed diplomatic relations with Morocco due to issues such as Western Sahara, has opened its airspace for the first time since 2021, and the Algerian side has announced that this move is to facilitate the arrival of humanitarian aid to Morocco. Subsequently, Algeria also announced plans to send rescue teams to participate in the post-earthquake relief efforts. Algeria's goodwill has injected positive factors into the gradual reconciliation of relations between the two countries.
In recent years, the Moroccan government has continued to improve the investment environment, focusing on attracting foreign investment, and most of the country's industries are open to investors, except for a few strategic industries such as phosphate. According to observers, foreign investment momentum remains strong after the earthquake struck the country.
Due to the relative scarcity of traditional energy sources, Morocco has actively developed renewable energy and formulated a renewable energy development strategy in order to get rid of its dependence on energy imports. The Moroccan government envisions that by 2025 the country's share of renewable energy projects will reach 50%, and the key to achieving this goal is cooperation with China. Driven by the Belt and Road Initiative, the Noao Phase III Solar Concentrator Power Station in Morocco, built by a Chinese company, is the world's largest tower solar thermal power station in the world, and the second and third phases of the project can not only provide clean energy to more than 1 million households in the country, but also export surplus electricity to Europe.
The third phase of the solar concentrator power generation independent power station in Nuao, Morocco, undertaken by a Chinese enterprise
According to a report released by the World Bank, although the earthquake in September has brought a certain impact and negative impact on Morocco's economy and society, the international community is still full of confidence that Morocco will get out of the shadow caused by the earthquake as soon as possible based on Morocco's ability to withstand sudden crises, as well as a comprehensive analysis of the country's macroeconomic situation, future development expectations, internal and external environment and other factors.
The above is the observation of Sun Jian, a reporter from the main station, in Morocco.
The author of this issue of "Reporter of China Central Station Sees the World": Sun Jian, reporter of China Central Station in Algiers
(From the Voice of China's column "The Reporter of the Main Station Sees the World")
Producer丨Zhang Chengxia
Reporter丨Sun Jian
Editor丨Du Yuting
Photo courtesy 丨 The Middle East Terminus of the Main Station
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