Germany invests 8 million in solar power for Moroccan mosques!

Germany invests 8 million in solar power for Moroccan mosques!

In a controversial move, the federal government has made available 8.09 million euros for the energy modernization of Moroccan mosques - a project that is probably surprising to many. Between 2015 and 2021, the money flowed not into German buildings, but through the Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) into the modernization of four mosques in Morocco. The main issue was the installation of new LED lights and solar systems, as a request from the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag revealed.

The distribution of the project costs is breathtaking: 5.99 million euros were invested solely in the specialists who provided technical advice and implementation on site. Material goods such as LED lights and photovoltaic panels consumed 404,000 euros, while administrative costs and other items cost around 1.06 million euros. The project, orchestrated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), aimed to promote renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency in religious sites.

A lesson in gender equality

Particularly sensitive and remarkable: In the Islamic country of Morocco, the federal government focused on gender equality! Until August 2019, an incredible six of the nine project employees at one time were female. People in Berlin are particularly proud of this. The activities also included training for imams and male and female teachers to raise their awareness of the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy.

According to information from Berlin, the project was considered “well received” and was believed to have achieved its objectives in terms of promoting business and employment opportunities. But the question remains: Was the investment of 8.09 million euros abroad really well spent?