Morocco Allocates $12 billion to Rebuild and Help the Population \ Newslooks \ Washington \ DC \ King Mohammed VI of Morocco chaired, on Wednesday Sep 20 at the Royal Palace in Rabat, a working session devoted to the reconstruction and general upgrading program for the regions hit by the Al Haouz earthquake.
This new working session is within the framework of the continuation of the Directives given by the King during the meetings of September 09 and 14, which laid the groundwork for a well-thought-out, integrated, and ambitious program designed to provide a strong, coherent, swift, and proactive response.
With an estimated overall budget of 12 billion Dollars over a five-year period, the first version of the integrated and multi-sectoral program presented before the Sovereign covers the six provinces and prefectures affected by the earthquake (Marrakech, Al Haouz, Taroudant, Chichaoua, Azilal and Ouarzazate), targeting a population of 4.2 million.
Based on a convergence approach and a precise diagnosis of needs, as well as an analysis of territorial potential and local players, this program includes projects aimed at, on the one hand, rebuilding housing and upgrading affected infrastructures, in line with the emergency measures decided at the September 14 meeting, and strengthening socio-economic development in targeted areas, on the other. It is structured around four main components:
1- Relocating people affected by the disaster, rebuilding housing and rehabilitating infrastructure; 2- Opening up and upgrading regions.
3- Accelerating the absorption of social deficits, particularly in the mountainous areas affected by the earthquake.
4- Encouraging economic activity and employment and promoting local initiatives.
The program also includes, as ordered by the King, the establishment, in each region, of a large platform of essential reserves (tents, blankets, beds, medicines, foodstuffs, etc.) to deal immediately with natural disasters.
During this working session, His Majesty invited the government to implement the vision presented at the level of each of the provinces and prefectures concerned.
Therefore, King Mohammed VI stressed once again the importance of listening to the needs of the local population to provide it with appropriate solutions, while giving due importance to the environmental dimension and respecting the unique heritage, traditions and lifestyles of each region.
The King of Morocco also stressed the need to demonstrate exemplary governance. The watchwords are speed, efficiency, rigor, and convincing results, so that this program of reconstruction and general upgrading of the stricken regions becomes a model of integrated and balanced territorial development.
Funding for this major program will come from appropriations in the general State budget, contributions from local authorities and the Special Solidarity Bank Account dedicated to managing the effects of the earthquake, as well as through donations and international cooperation.
In this respect, and as part of the Hassan II Fund’s mission to support the implementation of programs and projects with a structuring impact on economic and social development, HM the King has given his Instructions for the Hassan II Fund to contribute 200 million Dollars to the financing of this program.
