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Morocco’s Interior Minister, Abdelouafi Laftit, has underscored the importance of reducing regional disparities as a cornerstone of public policy, aligning with royal directives and the goals of the new development model. The government’s coordinated efforts aim to foster balanced development, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas, with ambitious investment plans laid out for the coming years.
Pursuing Regional Equity
In response to concerns raised by MP Mohamed Heychami regarding spatial inequalities, Laftit detailed the Interior Ministry’s strategy for engaging in a territorial contractual approach. This framework includes regional development programs and agreements with local authorities, enabling municipalities to tap into additional funding aimed at addressing structural deficits and narrowing intra-regional disparities.
For the period of 2022 to 2027, regional development programs have earmarked nearly 100 billion dirhams for various projects targeting local governance bodies. Priority will be given to the least equipped areas to bolster spatial justice and territorial cohesion.
A New Fiscal Vision
Laftit revealed that the 2026 Finance Law has allocated an initial budget of 20 billion dirhams for launching a new generation of integrated territorial development programs. Over an eight-year span, total costs are projected to reach around 210 billion dirhams, all aimed at reducing regional inequalities and achieving balanced growth across provinces and regions.
To enhance governance and management flexibility, the minister announced the establishment of regional joint-stock companies headed by regional council presidents to replace existing project implementation agencies. Concurrently, there will be a continued focus on urban centers, with plans for infrastructure upgrades and public facility enhancements.
Tackling Rural Challenges
Regarding the rural social and spatial disparities program initiated between 2017 and 2023, Laftit reported a budget of around 50 billion dirhams, with nearly 47 billion dirhams actually allocated—a financial execution rate of 94%. The bulk of these investments, approximately 71%, have gone to the construction and upgrade of rural roads, followed by funding for drinking water access (6 billion dirhams), education (5 billion), electricity connectivity (2 billion), and health services (1.4 billion).
Laftit emphasized that the ministry, in collaboration with regional councils, continues to adopt objective criteria for equitable investment programming. This approach is based on levels of infrastructure, social vulnerability, and actual needs, while developing indicators to assess regional disparities and the impact of projects. The objective remains clear: to ensure sustainable and balanced development across all regions of the kingdom.
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