Direct social assistance paid for the first time

This targeted family assistance forms part of a broader social reform, led by King Mohammed VI in 2020. In total, it is expected to benefit nearly one million families.

Morocco announced, on Monday, that about one million deprived families will receive direct monthly aid for the first time, starting Thursday, a new system in the Kingdom that has been awaited for years.

Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said, during a government council meeting, in a press release, that the beneficiaries will receive no less than 500 dirhams (just over 45 euros) per month “regardless of the family composition.”

25 billion dirhams

The implementation of this program will require a budget of 25 billion dirhams (about 2.3 billion euros) for the year 2024, as government spokesman Mustafa Paytas indicated at the end of October.

This targeted family assistance, which has been discussed for ten years without implementation, falls within the framework of a broad social reform, led by King Mohammed VI in 2020. This project also includes the universalization of social coverage for the benefit of all Moroccans, which began in 2021.

Compulsory health insurance, which was previously reserved for public employees and private sector users, benefits more than 3.8 million self-employed workers and their families, according to the Maghreb Arab Press.

Inflation at 6.1%

This medical coverage was also provided free of charge to more than 10 million disadvantaged people, with the state covering the cost of their contributions. These social reforms are being deployed in the context of the economic slowdown and profound social inequalities affecting this country of 36 million people.

The Kingdom is expected to record a growth rate of 2.7% and inflation of 6.1% in 2023, according to the latest estimates of the Central Bank of Morocco. Until then, social assistance was indirect and untargeted, as Morocco subsidized some consumer products through a compensation fund. This must be the subject of reform, the date of which has not been set, to make room for targeted aid to disadvantaged groups.