Morocco: Moroccans Residing Abroad (MRE) Claim Nearly a Quarter of Housing Assistance

Responding on Monday to a question from the parliamentary group of the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) during the oral question session at the House of Representatives, Fatima Zahra El Mansouri stated that 2.1 million housing units have been contracted since the launch of the program, of which 716,331 units have already been marketed, an average of 47,055 units per year. Since the launch of the program in 2020, a total of 264,130 housing units have been purchased, she specified.

The minister also highlighted the structural limitations of the program, including the strong concentration of projects in major cities, the obligation to produce a minimum of 500 units in urban areas and 100 in rural areas, the exclusion of the middle class, and the predominance of a small number of developers, with 80% of the projects being carried out by only ten companies. Faced with these findings, the Ministry of Urban Planning has opted for the digitalization of the program in order to better meet the needs and realities.

The member of the government emphasized the importance of this program aimed at facilitating access to housing for the middle classes and young people. This is why the ministry has launched a technical and financial study on the analysis of the rental market, the definition of possible scenarios, and the development of a sustainable financial structure. The objective is to define the conditions of access, the control of rents, and the launch of pilot projects in cities with high land pressure before the generalization of the program.

Out of the 159,385 applications deemed eligible, 75,760 people have actually benefited from housing to date. Among them, 24% are Moroccans residing abroad (MRE), 47% are women, and 55% are under the age of 40. In detail, 62% of the beneficiaries received an aid of 70,000 dirhams, while 38% received 100,000 dirhams. Also, the average monthly number of beneficiaries has increased by 39%, reaching 3,818 in 2025 compared to 2,749 in 2024, the minister explained.

Furthermore, the program has impacted cities such as Fez (13%), El Jadida (4%), Settat (3%), Benslimane (3.5%), Oujda (3%), or Berkane (2.6%) which were not taken into account in housing policies, according to the minister. Economically, the direct housing assistance program has boosted the real estate sector, with cement sales increasing by 11.29%, housing loans by 3%, and loans to real estate developers by 4.5%, El Mansouri said, recalling that 80% of the companies involved in the implementation of the program are very small and medium-sized local enterprises (VSMEs).