RABAT, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has approved a 55-million-U.S. dollars loan to develop youth employment program in the Moroccan central region of Marrakesh-Safi, local media reported on Monday.

Dubbed "Supporting the Economic Inclusion of Youth," the project will finance an innovative approach that combines training for lower skilled youth, support for potential entrepreneurs, and investments in local businesses in promising value chains, the Moroccan daily Le Matin said.

The project will set up "one-stop-centers" which will provide career guidance as well as on-the-job training in the seven provinces of the region and in the Marrakech prefecture, the same source noted.

"Youth unemployment remains an acute challenge for Morocco, and we are drawing on our global experience in supporting governments in their efforts to address it through innovative solutions," the Moroccan daily quoted Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, director of the Maghreb Countries of the World Bank, as saying.

"The project is designed to address the specific conditions in the Marrakech-Safi region, but the intention is to build on this first experience to replicate an integrated and efficient model across the entire country," she added.