In response to a pure youth need and a “political and social” demand that has been raised for years in Morocco, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaïd, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, chaired, today, Monday in Rabat, the ceremony of disseminating “youth passport” services at the national level in an official ceremony in the presence of a number of ministers and partner public and private institutions. ; This was after this service was tested in the cities of Rabat and Salé.
During the ceremony held in the Chellah Archaeological Space, services that benefit Moroccan youth under 30 years old were presented. Such as learning the Amazigh language, sharing opinions through the application on a range of issues, accessing historical monuments for free, and benefiting from access to movie theaters and transportation with encouraging discounts. The same platform was also developed in the constitutional languages such as Arabic and Amazigh, as well as French and English, enabling it to deal via WhatsApp with the expectations of the beneficiary youth.
The Ministry revealed that, today, there are “more than 250,000 young women and men registered today in the youth passport application, and a large number are inquiring about cultural, sports and entertainment services thanks to it,” stating that these services were in the cities of Rabat and Salé, and today they include all cities in the Kingdom, “via Expanding access to culture, sports, transportation, training, health and many other basic services” thanks to “the partnership between the youth sector, regional councils, public institutions and the private sector.”
“Moroccan dream”
Mohamed Mehdi Bensaïd, Minister of Culture, Youth and Communication, said that the royal vision “aims to unify the services provided to youth within a unified and integrated framework,” adding that based on this vision, we have been working “for three years on building trust between youth and institutions, and making them capable of impressing The world through faith in the Moroccan dream.”
The Minister, guardian of the youth sector, explained, as he announced the launch of the circular, that “this process was through the youth passport, which was launched three years ago in Rabat,” highlighting that today “an important phase begins” in what he called “our commitment to Moroccan youth.”
The same government official added: “The youth passport is not only a mechanism that provides services; But it is an answer to the expectations and aspirations of millions of Moroccan youth, integrating them economically, unifying public policies in their favor, and making them contributors to the development of our country and the development of its economy.”
Bensaid said, “The youth passport has an economic impact, through the services provided in a number of fields, including the banking sector, as access to banking services through the passport will enable the country’s youth to have a better economic life, improve the standard of living, and the possibility of exploiting a number of opportunities,” explaining that “the goal is “It is to reach 2.6 million young people by the year 2026, noting that this project targets 8.5 million young women and men.”
The government official pledged not to stop “developing this initiative according to the needs of youth in all regions of the Kingdom,” explaining that achieving this station “would not have been possible without our government partners, regional councils, public institutions and companies, and the private sector.” He also called for “broader participation of public institutions.” And privacy in building the Moroccan dream.”
-He continued, explaining: “We worked on an experimental phase in the cities of Rabat and Salé, which included the fields of transportation, culture, and sports, and the results were good,” considering that what he described as “the success achieved during the experimental phase is evidence of mutual trust between youth and institutions,” and he stated: “We are determined to continue the work.” “With our partners to develop this passport and achieve more achievements, with the aim of enabling young people to contribute effectively to building a strong and harmonious society.”
“A youth gain”
Ezz Al-Arab Helmy, a program coordinator in the Citizens Movement, sent a clear message to future government actors to “preserve the sustainability and continuity of the project,” pointing to a “problem” plaguing government and public management in Morocco. It is that “every new ministerial official tries to reconsider some of the projects belonging to the previous government mandate,” and he added: “This is a youth gain that we must support and preserve.”
In response to Hespress’s question regarding what Minister Ben Said described as “serving the Moroccan dream” in the face of the lack of trust revealed by the events of the Great Escape in Fnideq, Helmy said that “in a climate that witnesses the reluctance of young people to participate, whether in citizenship or politics, and the weakness of trust in institutions is revived, the gap is widening, and more.” Among social problems, we find that projects of this kind give hope that change is possible, and that what we only need is the will of those in the field of decision-making.”
The same speaker stated that “hope must be given to Moroccan youth,” noting that in the youth initiative that he coordinates, continuous meetings are held with young people, and many of them asked questions about this experience and when it will be generalized, as the discussion about this program was present,” and he added: “ We consider it real progress in bringing young people closer to a range of services, especially in a globalized global context in which everyone has a mobile phone that helps them navigate the affairs of different countries. That is why we consider it an answer to a very important problem for young people and facilitating their access to a range of facilities and services.”
Hespress encountered a group of young people benefiting from the application in the cities of Rabat and Salé, and they confirmed “their actual benefit from a group of facilities and services that make them feel positively distinguished as a group carrying the future of the country,” highlighting that “its reach to other regions on the national territory brings it closer to the youth of all Moroccan cities.” “, provided that there are “additional solutions” for the benefit of youth in “marginal cities” that “do not have many facilities that provide these services.”
It is noteworthy that the Youth Passport “is a free application intended exclusively for young Moroccans and foreigners residing in Morocco between the ages of 16 and 30 years,” and the official website of the application indicates that it “offers discounts, free offers, and other privileges to enable young people to benefit from many cultural and sports services, as well as services.” Transportation, accommodation, and other services, throughout the national territory.”
