The signing of financing agreements amounting to 30 million dirhams for 57 projects within the framework of the National Initiative for Human Development took place last Tuesday at the headquarters of the Essaouira province.

The governor, Abdelouahab El Jabri, took the opportunity to invite the various stakeholders in the process of developing and implementing INDH projects to pool their potential in order to better decline and concretize the philosophy and objectives of the program, the first installment of which will end in 2015. The governor also welcomed the number of programmed projects, the value of which exceeds 80% of the amount of credits allocated for the 2013 financial year. To this end, the president of the provincial human development committee called on project leaders to tackle income-generating activities, projects targeting the improvement of women's living conditions, as well as cultural and sports projects dedicated to children, young people and people with specific needs.

Khalid Chafick, head of the social action division, affirmed that the number of approved projects is only the combination of efforts made by the various stakeholders at the local and provincial levels in order to achieve the objectives of the INDH. To this end, he specified that the programmed projects were submitted to criteria of feasibility, efficiency and priority. The said projects related to the program to fight poverty in rural areas consist of supplying rural people with drinking water, opening up remote areas, access to health services and the fight against school dropout.

Regarding the supply of drinking water, several communes and douars will be supplied, such as the commune of Idaw Gueloul, which will benefit from the financing of a project amounting to two million five hundred thousand dirhams. Road infrastructure in several communes will be developed and improved, such as the 3.5 km road connecting provincial road No. 2240 to the Anfra douar in the commune of Sidi H'mad Oum'barek, the development of which will be financed to the tune of one million five hundred thousand dirhams. Regarding health services, they will be strengthened in several communes, as is the case of Tahelwant, which will benefit from the purchase of an ambulance for 280 thousand dirhams, and the commune of Artnane, whose health center will be redeveloped at a cost of 700 thousand dirhams. The education sector will not be left out in this program, which provides for the improvement of reception structures for several schools and the strengthening of school transport. To this end, a student house will be created in Imintlit at a cost of four million dirhams, classrooms will be built in the commune of Ati Saïd (460 thousand 800 dirhams), and a school transport bus will be purchased in Had Dra, which will be financed to the tune of 430 thousand dirhams, among others.

According to statistics from the Social Action Division (DAS), 618 projects intended for 323,000 beneficiaries were implemented within the framework of the INDH during the 2005-2012 period, with a total cost of 544 million dirhams.