|
| Project sponsor and major shareholders of project company |
| Zakoura is an independent, autonomous not-for profit microfinance institution. Zakoura is headquartered in Casablanca, Morocco. |
|
| Total project cost and proposed IFC investment |
| Total project cost is estimated at $3,368,000, with proposed IFC/GEF PVMTI credit guarantees and grant investment of $915,000. |
|
| Location of project and description of site |
| The project encompasses the introduction of a micro-credit scheme by Zakoura to support the purchase of PV systems by private households throughout Morocco. |
|
| Description of company and purpose of project |
This PVMTI subproject will facilitate the introduction of a microfinance credit scheme to accelerate the uptake of solar home systems (SHS) in rural areas of Morocco. Zakoura, a leading microfinance institution, will provide a range of credit packages to buyers of SHS in partnership with multiple PV suppliers selected by Zakoura, which are able to comply with the PVMTI technical guidelines. IFC will provide a partial credit guarantee for Zakoura, so that it can access debt financing for the project locally from Société Générale Marocaine de Banques (Soc Gen).
The project is financed by the IFC/GEF Photovoltaic Market Transformation Initiative (PVMTI). The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has provided $30 million in concessional funds to IFC to support investments in private sector projects to encourage market development for photovoltaics. PVMTI aims to address market barriers by making available appropriate financing and stimulating business activity, accelerating PV penetration to achieve reductions in greenhouse gases. By harnessing the innovation and discipline of the private sector in designing and implementing PV projects, IFC is helping to shift the design and financing of PV market activity to a more sustainable and replicable private sector context.
By investing PVMTI funds in the project, IFC intends to support the demonstration of a successful and replicable business model for the Moroccan, as well as other developing country PV markets. |
|
| Environmental and social issues - Category C |
This is a Category C project according to IFC’s environmental and social review procedure. No further environmental review is therefore required.
|
|
 |
| To contact the project company, please write to: |
Aziz Benmazouz
Fondation Zakoura
6, Rue Najib Mahfoud
Quartier Gauthier Casablanca
20000 Casablanca, Maroc
Phone: +212 (0)22 22 64 21; Fax: +212 (0)22 22 65 05
E-mail: zakouramc@casanet.net.ma |