By AFP More by this AuthorThe World Bank and International Monetary Fund have confirmed that their annual meetings will go ahead in Morocco as planned next month despite a deadly earthquake near the event site. In a joint statement released on Monday, World Bank President Ajay Banga, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and Moroccan Finance Minister Nadia Fettah Alaoui said they had worked together to "thoroughly assess" Marrakesh's capacity to host the meetings. "Based on a careful review of the findings, the managements of the World Bank and IMF, together with the Moroccan authorities, have agreed to proceed with holding the 2023 annual meetings in Marrakech from October 9 to 15, adapting the content to the circumstances," they added. Read: Africa courts EU for unused World Bank, IMF reservesThe annual gathering of world leaders hosted by the two international financial institutions was initially scheduled to be held in Marrakesh in 2021 but was postponed twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "At this very difficult time, we believe that the annual meetings also provide an opportunity for the international community to stand by Morocco and its people," Banga, Georgieva and Alaoui said.

Source: Daily Nation September 20, 2023 01:59 UTC