Morocco Invests 12 Billion Dirhams in Fès-Meknès Region Development Projects

An important announcement from the installation ceremony of Mouaad Jamai, the new Wali of Fès-Meknès, governor of the prefecture of Fès, on Saturday. According to Abdelouafi Laftit, Minister of the Interior, major structuring projects will soon be launched in the region for an investment of more than 12 billion dirhams. These projects are divided into two parts: on the one hand, structuring projects with a total cost exceeding 11 billion dirhams, and development and rehabilitation projects for the medina of Fès, aimed at improving its attractiveness for the period 2025-2029, for a total amount of 1.26 billion dirhams, on the other hand.

According to the minister’s explanations, the first part covers several sectors, including road infrastructure with a budget of 365 million dirhams, including the construction of 5 ring roads, the renovation of main and secondary roads, the strengthening of the transport sector (754 MDH) through the launch of several urban and municipal means of transport, as well as sports infrastructure amounting to 373 million dirhams. It is also planned to strengthen health infrastructure, in particular through the modernization of the El Ghassani regional hospital and the Ibn Al Khatib hospital and the creation of emergency and burn treatment centers for a budget of 370 million dirhams.

The sector of solidarity and national mutual assistance has not been forgotten. An amount of 87 million dirhams will be used to strengthen the reception and protection structures for the homeless and street children, as well as for the creation of marketing and economic and social integration platforms for the benefit of women. This program also includes the energy transition and sustainable development with 828 million dirhams for the equipment in solar public lighting of administrative buildings, main sites and city squares, as well as other ecological projects and local public facilities such as markets, bus stations and the strengthening of the video surveillance system, Laftit specified.

As for the second part of the strategic program for the development of the region, it includes the development and rehabilitation projects for the medina of Fès, with a total budget of 1.26 billion dirhams, in partnership with the ministries of the Interior and Economy and Finance. It is planned to inject 108 MDH into the restoration of the historical heritage, 647 MDH into the rehabilitation of the urban space, 165 MDH to strengthen the economic and tourist attractiveness through in particular the rehabilitation of the foundouks in danger of ruin, the upgrading of bus stations, 184 MDH for the renovation of local facilities, 100 million dirhams for buildings in danger of ruin and 9 MDH for the development of human skills through training and support for craftsmen and merchants.

The minister also said that the region is seeing the launch of parallel projects aimed at improving the living conditions of its population through the development of sectors such as transport, logistics and health, as well as the improvement of the quality of services. These include several projects planned or carried out as part of the National Initiative for Human Development, focused on improving income and the economic inclusion of young people in 2024, with the realization of 676 projects in the field of social and solidarity economy and 519 projects planned to improve access to drinking water and electricity, at a total cost of more than 50 million dirhams for the year 2024. Not to mention 29 other projects planned for the development of roads (50 million dirhams), and the improvement of access to health services through the modernization of the Hassan II University Hospital Center in Fès (500 million dirhams) and the construction of the Bensouda hospital at a cost of 420 million dirhams.

Fès-Meknès "represents a promising model for Morocco thanks to the ongoing development projects, which will make this region a leading economic, tourist and cultural hub at the national level," the minister said.