Maroc Telecom, one of Morocco’s largest telecommunication companies, has announced that it will donate MAD 700 million ($67 million) to the country’s relief efforts to recover from the devastating September 8 earthquake.
“Responding to the Royal appeal, Maroc Telecom announces its participation in the Special Fund for the management of the disastrous consequences of the earthquake that recently shook our country,” the company said in an official statement.
“The group is committing 700 million dirhams in addition to contributions from its staff to support the reconstruction and rehabilitation of disaster areas,” the statement added.
The company said that it had mobilised all its teams from the very first hours after the earthquake and that they set up a “special intervention system” to ensure the continuity of services and restore communications in the affected areas.
Shortly after the disaster, Morocco set up a special bank account to receive donations for the relief efforts. Following mass donations and a few large contributions by celebrities, the fund has so far amassed around MAD 7 billion ($670 million).
On Wednesday, King Mohammed VI chaired a meeting on the reconstruction programme for the areas affected by the disaster.
The programme will be carried out over a period of five years with an estimated budget of MAD 120 billion ($11.6 billion). It is set to benefit over 4 million inhabitants of the affected areas.
On September 8, several provinces in central Morocco were rocked by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake, the strongest to hit the country in 120 years.
The natural disaster has claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people and left 5,500 others with injuries of varying severities, according to the latest official figures.
