Corruption Undermines Morocco’s Aid Programs for Vulnerable Citizens

"’Merchants of public aid’ covet the considerable budgets allocated to improving the living conditions of the underprivileged social strata, and do not hesitate to excessively increase their profit margins," notes the editorialist of the daily Al Akhbar. According to him, they also divert funds intended for essential sectors such as housing, access to care, the fight against illiteracy, the improvement of unsanitary housing and the eradication of slums.

The editorialist notes that the efforts made by the State to protect the purchasing power of citizens, through measures such as the increase in the minimum wage, the reduction in the prices of meat, Eid sheep and basic food products, "are often in vain, [...] and inflation continues to weigh on the budget of citizens." Based on these findings, he proposes avenues to remedy this situation. He recommends a comprehensive overhaul of the public aid system, facilities and exemptions. He also proposes to control the use of the exemptions granted for imports, in order to meet the needs of the local market while preserving the balance between supply and demand.

Other proposals: setting up rigorous control mechanisms to ensure the monitoring of public aid and guarantee that it reaches the targeted populations, as well as an official reporting system, where each official will have to account for the objectives achieved and their real impact on the ground.