USAID Earmarked $100 million to help Morocco, mission director

The USAID has earmarked $100 million that can be drawn from to help the Moroccan government achieve one of its priorities, namely the creation of jobs, said Monica Stein-Olson, newly appointed USAID mission director in Morocco.

Stein-Olson told "Le Matin" daily of Monday the American agency objectives for the 2004-2008 period aim to help Morocco benefit from several opportunities provided for by the Moroccan-US FTA, signed last June By Rabat and Washington.

In the FTA accompanying program, the USAID mission director said there are opportunities to improve business, agriculture and agri-business, adding the USAID lately got proposals as part of a five year programme meant to accompany the transformation of agriculture into a high value added producing sector.

Stein-Olson said cooperation between the two countries also focuses on education and training for employment to ease the problem of employment and fight illiteracy.