Fawzi Lekjaa affirms Morocco’s commitment to enhancing green public procurement as a lever for sustainable development
The Minister Delegate in charge of the Budget, Fawzi Lekjaa, stated yesterday in Rabat that green public procurement represents a key axis in Morocco’s sustainable development strategy, emphasizing its vital role in directing public spending towards an environmentally sustainable future in line with the Kingdom’s commitments. He explained that this approach provides broader opportunities for development and enhances the coherence of public policies by channeling public expenditure towards vital sectors such as transportation, energy, circular economy, and social inclusion.
The minister noted that green public procurement is not only a tool for long-term economic efficiency but also serves as a pillar for cementing the state’s leadership as a model in the field of sustainability, considering that integrating environmental and social criteria into public tenders contributes to stimulating innovation and promoting local enterprises, thereby creating multiplied positive impacts on the economy.
Lekjaa highlighted the pivotal role of public finance in supporting this transition by directing spending towards projects with social and environmental impacts, developing innovative financing tools such as green sovereign bonds, and adapting the tax system to support responsible environmental behaviors. He reaffirmed the government’s determination to make public administration a model for sustainability by incorporating responsible environmental practices into the management of energy, waste, and public procurement.
For his part, Nader Mohammed, the World Bank’s Regional Director of Prosperity for the Middle East and North Africa, provided a comprehensive vision for transforming environmental challenges into opportunities for economic development, explaining that the region is among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, but at the same time has significant potential to lead in the green economy. He pointed out that public procurement represents about 18% of the gross domestic product in the region and that directing it towards green projects could create a structural change that stimulates the growth of new economic branches.
Nader Mohammed revealed the World Bank’s strategy to support countries in the region in this path by enhancing regulatory frameworks, developing technical capacities for public buyers, and encouraging innovation through pioneering projects. Additionally, Kate Ryan, Director of the French Development Agency in Morocco, emphasized her institution’s commitment to supporting green public procurement by financing projects with environmental value, providing technical assistance, and creating mechanisms to assess the climate impact of public procurement.
The conference’s opening witnessed the participation of several prominent figures, including the Kingdom’s General Treasurer Nourredine Bensouda, the Regional Director for the Maghreb and Malta at the World Bank Ahmadou Mustafa Ndiaye, the Regional Office Head of the Islamic Development Bank in Rabat Ahmad Ag Aboubakr, the Deputy Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Valérie Rouber, and the Director of Operations at the New Development Bank Anand Kumar Srivastava.
