Asharq Al-Awsat
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has urged the government and economic and social actors to rearrange priories and to lay foundations for a strong and competitive economy for the post-COVID-19 recovery.
He also stressed Thursday the significance of launching an ambitious plan to revive the economy in a way that enables productive sectors to recover.
In his speech on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of his accession to the throne, he announced that “some MAD120 billion (USD12 billion) will be injected into the national economy, representing 11 percent of our GDP – a proportion that will place Morocco at the forefront of the most enterprising countries in terms of post-crisis stimulus packages.
“I have also decided that a strategic investment fund should be set up to stimulate productive activities and support major public-private investment projects in various sectors.”
He added: “To ensure the success of this plan, I call on the government and on economic and social actors to be effectively engaged in this endeavor.”
Further, King Mohammed VI stated that “similarly, a sweeping reform of the civil service should be expedited, and the structural deficiencies of public institutions and state enterprises should be addressed to achieve optimal integration and increase these institutions’ economic and social effectiveness.
“To this end, I call for the creation of a national agency to be tasked with ensuring the strategic management of state contributions and assessing the performance of public institutions.”
On the coronavirus pandemic, Morocco’s King said: “I want you to know that I care as much about the Moroccan citizens’ health and the safety of their family members as I do about my own children and my smaller family – even more so in the difficult times Morocco and the world are going through today as a result of the COVID -19 pandemic.”
He saluted the spirit of solidarity and responsibility shown by citizens. He also hailed “the sense of discipline, the level of awareness and the responsiveness shown by the citizens and by all the nation’s forces during this past period.”
Addressing citizens, he said: “I am aware of the magnitude of the adverse effects this crisis has had, not just on public health, but also at social and economic levels. It has affected all the productive sectors. Family incomes and the state budget have also been severely impacted. I am heartened to see that this initiative has been spontaneously embraced and that it continues to be actively supported.”
Furthermore, he declared that an amount of MAD5 billion (more than USD500 million) will be allocated to the Central Guarantee Fund to boost the economy.
“Our action is not limited to simply facing up to the current epidemic. We also aim to address its social and economic effects by building on a comprehensive, future-oriented approach and by drawing lessons from this experience.
“Even though this crisis has shown that social bonds in our country are solid and that solidarity between Moroccans is a fact of life, it has also revealed a number of shortcomings, especially in the social field,” he added.
King Mohammed VI went on saying, “This project needs to be implemented gradually, as of January 2021, using a well-thought-out plan, starting with compulsory health coverage and family allowances, then moving on to pension and unemployment benefits.
“Such a plan requires tangible reform of current social protection systems and programs in order to increase their direct impact on beneficiaries, especially through the rolling-out of the national social register.”
He added that it was time to launch a decisive process for the expansion of social welfare coverage to all Moroccans within the next five years.
