Here are the main headlines developed by the national press for this Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Eco inspirations
Standard of living of Moroccans: an inflection after 2019
In light of the results of the 2022 National Household Living Standards Survey, the HCP has published details of the evolution of the standard of living, the consumption model, as well as the phenomena of poverty and vulnerability. It appears from this survey that the standard of living of Moroccans has generally improved between 2014 and 2022, marked by an increase between 2014 and 2018, followed by a deceleration between 2019 and 2022. As a reminder, the period of completion of this survey coincided with a situation impacted by the socio-economic repercussions of the pandemic, inflation and recurring years of drought. In constant prices, the standard of living improved at an annual rate of 1.1% between 2014 and 2022. In rural areas, the increase was 0.6% (between 2014 and 2022).
Dates: imports explode
Although Moroccans are not major consumers of dates, with only 3.5 kg per capita per year, compared to 10 kg in other producing countries, demand increases exponentially during this period. And to meet the needs of the local market, Morocco is forced to resort to imports even though it is in the Top 10 producing countries in the world. However, it does not achieve self-sufficiency for this sector. The Kingdom is indeed among the main buyers worldwide. The volume of imports recorded during the 2023-2024 season exceeded the average of the three previous seasons.
Fund transfers: Morocco third in Africa
Africa represents 12.3% of global remittances, with nearly $100 billion in 2022, reveals the Mo Ibrahim Foundation report, entitled “Financing Africa. Where is the money? “. Moreover, between 2005 and 2022, remittances sent to Africa more than tripled, reaching $97.6 billion, or the equivalent of 3.5% of the continent’s GDP in 2022, thus constituting the ‘one of the most important sources of income, notes the report. Additionally, remittances account for over 16% of Africa’s total government revenue in 2022. Three countries, namely, Egypt, Nigeria and Morocco alone received 61.1% of these remittances. . In first place, Egypt benefited from $28.3 billion. Nigeria and Morocco captured $20.1 and $11.2 billion respectively.
L’Opinion
Seawater desalination: the acceleration in the rate is confirmed
Faced with climatic hazards and ungenerous skies, Morocco is working hard to guarantee the supply of drinking water to its twelve regions. While precipitation is down 65% compared to previous years, the Executive has managed to double its seawater desalination capacity, going from 145 million cubic meters to 270 this year. The objective is to reduce this figure to 1.7 billion m³ by 2030, according to the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka. Likewise for the reuse of treated wastewater, work is underway to significantly increase the reuse of this water.
Seasonal flu: call for vigilance in the face of an increase in symptoms
For several weeks, a particularly virulent flu has been circulating in Morocco, affecting a large number of citizens. Intense symptoms, prolonged bed rest and emergency medical consultations… the situation is worrying. While many suspect a simple seasonal flu, experts are warning of a possible rebound in Covid-19, taking advantage of the change of season to spread. A situation that calls for a combined prevention strategy. Although vaccines do not guarantee complete immunity, they remain the most effective way to protect against both the flu and Covid-19.
Al Ahdath al-Maghribia
Casablanca: 4 new industrial zones
Abdellatif Mazouz, president of the Council of the Casablanca-Settat region, revealed his region’s intention to create four industrial zones in order to provide land for investors, as part of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Development Program 2022-2027. These are the El Ghadira Zone in the province of El Jadida, the Had Soualem zone in the Province of Berrechid, the Viasset zone in the province of Settat, the Arrachad zone in the commune of Majatia Oulad Taleb of the Province of Médiouna, in addition to two logistics zones north and south of Casablanca. These zones will make it possible to strengthen the supply of industrial land in the Casablanca-Settat region, which meets the needs of investors in terms of quality of infrastructure, basic services and management standards, thus contributing to the increased private investment and job creation.
Soon a new airport in Casablanca
The Minister of Transport and Logistics, Abdessamed Kayouh, announced that a new airport will be built in Casablanca opposite the current airport, capable of accommodating 20 million passengers, noting that it will be a hub for flights 14 to 15 hours long. The Royal Air Maroc fleet will increase from 50 to 250 aircraft in 2033, he indicated during an oral question session in the House of Representatives. He also stressed that RAM aims to reach all parts of the world, and that Casablanca would become a Hub connecting Africa, Europe and America.
Al Alam
A new escalation of internal and resident doctors against the Ministries of Health and Higher Education
The National Commission of Internal Physicians and Residents of Morocco continues its escalation against the Ministries of Higher Education and Health, continuing to lead a series of national strikes to defend the demands of doctors that it considers legitimate. Thus, it announced in a press release a two-day national strike, Tuesday and Thursday, with the exception of emergency, resuscitation and on-call services. In a statement to the newspaper, Dr Ali Farsi, coordinator of the Commission, said the strikes were part of the government’s continued approach of ignoring the demands of doctors at the Kingdom’s university hospitals.
Al Akhbar
Tangier: exceptional authorizations for the establishment of new hotels
Informed sources revealed that immediately after the recent assessment issued by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), which reported insufficient hotel accommodation in Tangier, the central services of the Ministry of the Interior in Rabat are preparing to grant exceptional authorizations to investors to build new hotels in the pearl of the Strait of Gibraltar. According to these sources, this new approach, described as exceptional, comes in light of the growing number of complaints received by the competent central authorities regarding delays in the development plan, which has hampered any new investment in the area in Tangier.
Assahra al-Maghribia
Morocco imported nearly 60 million quintals of wheat as of November 30
Moulay Abdelkader Alaoui, president of the National Flour Milling Federation, affirmed that the deficit in cereal production that Morocco has been experiencing for six years has become permanent, stressing that if the situation remains as it is, it will be necessary to resort to international markets to import cereal requirements. As of November 30, 48 million quintals of soft wheat were imported from Russia, France, Germany, Poland and Romania and 10 million quintals of durum wheat from Canada, for a total of approximately 60 million quintals , he told the newspaper, noting that the prices were affordable, taking into account the availability of global production.
Secretary of State for Housing: the “Cities without slums” program has made it possible to eliminate slums in 61 cities
The Secretary of State for Housing, Adib Benbrahim, announced that the “Cities without slums” program made it possible to eliminate slums in 61 cities for a total cost of 61.34 billion dirhams, including 14.38 billion were provided by the Ministry of Housing. This is an achievement and an encouraging result which reflects the government’s commitment to improving the living conditions of citizens, he declared in response to questions from parliamentary groups in the House of Representatives.
