Ibrahim Ben Ibrahim: The Direct Housing Support Program Exceeds Expectations, Benefiting Thousands of Moroccans
Ibrahim Ben Ibrahim, Secretary of State for Housing, confirmed that the direct housing support program has surpassed its objectives during its first year, achieving positive results for low-income and middle-class groups.
During a question-and-answer session in the House of Councillors on Tuesday, Ben Ibrahim announced that the number of beneficiaries has reached 48,000 out of 150,000 applications expressed, indicating that the recorded figures show the program is heading in the right direction.
He clarified that 64% of the beneficiaries are from the middle class, while 34% come from low-income groups, in addition to 25% from the Moroccan community living abroad, reflecting the diversity of the benefiting groups.
Ben Ibrahim noted that the government has adopted a simplified process for benefiting from the program, based on two main conditions: not having a primary residence and committing to reside in the subsidized housing for at least five years. He also mentioned that the processing of applications takes place through a digital platform, which has contributed to streamlining procedures and increasing demand.
He emphasized that the current program was designed to address the shortcomings of previous programs that targeted real estate developers, granting beneficiaries greater freedom in choosing their housing and opening avenues for expanding the supply.
Regarding the financial outcome, he revealed that the government has allocated a budget of 3.79 billion dirhams, indicating that low-income groups have benefited from Fokarim loans, which covered up to 80% of the housing acquisition cost, along with direct financial support.
In response to inquiries from some councillors about the overlap between this program and the Cities Without Slums initiative, Ben Ibrahim clarified that the resettlement of slum dwellers is subject to specific programs, and some social housing projects have been integrated into the direct support framework to ensure access.
He stressed that the figures provided by the government are verifiable through data from official institutions, such as the Land Registry, the Deposit and Management Fund, the Ministry of Finance, and the Tax Directorate, affirming that the government has exceeded the targeted objective of 75,000 units and successfully mobilized 96,000 housing units in one year.
Ben Ibrahim also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving the program in the future, in line with royal directives aimed at enhancing housing supply for citizens as part of the state’s social agenda.
