On 11 February, Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the World Bank will convene in Morocco to highlight “The Power of Co-financing,” a collaborative model designed to expand as international aid becomes scarcer while development needs continue to grow.
With financing requirements rising across sectors such as roads, transport, energy, and climate action, partner countries face increasing pressure on limited resources. To address this challenge, AFD and the World Bank have chosen to pool their resources, allowing them to support larger, more ambitious, and transformative projects than would be possible individually. In Morocco, this approach has been successfully applied for around a decade, including in projects like the Noor solar complex, one of the world’s largest solar installations.
Co-financing also addresses the fragmentation of aid, a common issue where countries must navigate multiple donors, each with separate rules and timelines, slowing project implementation and increasing complexity. By coordinating their efforts, AFD and the World Bank simplify processes, share risks, and align projects with national priorities. Rémy Rioux, AFD’s CEO, emphasized that co-financing allows for more impactful projects even as resources shrink.
At the forum on 11 February, AFD, the World Bank, and Morocco’s Ministry of Economy and Finance will explore how co-financing can be scaled up further, including ways to attract more private investment. This approach is increasingly recognized as essential, not only in Morocco but globally, as a means to maintain effective development financing in a world facing multiple crises and tightening budgets.
Co-financing is thus evolving from a strategic tool to a fundamental condition for delivering robust, aligned, and impactful development initiatives in the years ahead.
