Morocco’s Toll Hike Plan Sparks Debate on Regional Road Disparities

Reacting after the presentation of the report of the temporary exploratory mission on the National Motorway Company of Morocco (ADM) to the House of Representatives, El Baz welcomed the qualitative leaps made in the field of road infrastructure, noting however disparities between the regions. The MP believes that some regions like Drâa-Tafilalet have been left behind and sorely lack road infrastructure. To correct this, he has called on the government to adopt a comprehensive development policy and implement structuring projects, such as the Tichka tunnel, which will help open up certain regions.

El Baz also mentioned ADM’s high indebtedness, noting that the company needs direct government support to get out of the crisis. The Haraki group MP insisted on the need to put in place innovative financing mechanisms for projects, urging the competent authorities to do what is necessary to strengthen partnerships and attract national and international investments as part of the 2030 World Cup organized by Morocco, alongside Spain and Portugal. In his view, the announced increase in toll rates is not an opportune measure in a context marked by widespread inflation.

He rather urges the government to strengthen security on the highways and improve the quality of services offered by increasing the number of rest areas and adopting electronic payment methods in order to reduce congestion at toll booths. "There is today no justification for the increase in motorway tolls, given the rise in consumer and service prices, including fuel," he said, recalling that the government must respect its commitments and inject nearly one billion dirhams per year into the company’s capital.