The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an independent US Government agency that provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world, has celebrated 50 years of partnership with the Government of Morocco. On April 2, 1957, the United States and Morocco entered into an agreement under which the United States undertook to provide a programme of economic and technical assistance to Morocco. "Since then, the American people have invested over 2 billion dollars (equivalent to 10 billion in current currency in 2007 dollars) in the human, economic and institutional development of Morocco, " said a press release of the agency carried today by Morocco Business News. Under its long partnership with the Moroccan Government, USAID has helped many Moroccans to improve their living conditions, while working jointly with government agencies, civil society organizations and the private sector. Over the fifty-year relationship, the most notable successes have come in agriculture and agribusiness, health, primary education, housing and urban development, microfinance, small and medium enterprise growth, and water management. --MORE
