Moroccan goverment reviews support for Moroccans living abroad
On the occasion of the 49th anniversary of the Green March, Mohammed VI stressed in his speech the need to review the situation of the Moroccan diaspora living abroad. The monarch conveyed to the government the need to improve and speed up procedures for expatriate citizens. These considerations will be dealt with according to the instructions set out in the speech.
Following the speech, Aziz Akhannouch, head of government, brought together his team of ministers to draw up a joint plan to enable Moroccans living abroad to improve their relationship with the country. Among those present at the meeting were Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad; Abdelouafi Laftit, Minister of the Interior; and the Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah, among others.
‘I have decided to review all the mechanisms used for the management of Moroccans living abroad,’ Mohammed VI said in his speech commemorating the 49th anniversary of the Green March. The first changes to be made, according to the communiqué issued by the head of government's department, will be the restructuring of the Council of the Community of Moroccans Living Abroad and the creation of the Mohammedia Foundation for Moroccans Living Abroad.
In addition, initiatives were discussed and debated that will be aimed solely at uniting and improving the link between the MREs and Morocco. Through ‘culture and love of the homeland’, as mentioned in the communiqué, the government seeks the approval by the House of measures to support the simplification of administrative procedures, thanks to digitalisation.
Mohammedia Foundation for MREs
In his speech, the Alaouite monarch referred to this foundation as a ‘new public agency in charge of the preparation, coordination and implementation of the National Strategy for Moroccans Residing Abroad’.
Another of the ideas put forward during the government meeting was that of not leaving the youth, and therefore new talent, behind. To this end, work is being done to increase and improve the country's educational institutions, which have been growing significantly in recent years.
The government believes that the effort must be accompanied by a good strategy to ensure that Moroccan talent stays in the country and, in the event that it has to emigrate, that it is given the greatest support, both financial and logistical.
With regard to religious and cultural issues, experts in the field such as researcher Idris Al-Kanbouri and professor at the Faculty of Arts in Rabat, Ahmed Al-Bukili, pointed out that second, third and fourth generation Moroccans living abroad have lost their Moroccan identity and are increasingly accepting atheism.
Both researchers alluded to the need for a reactivation of links with their origins and their nationals. In addition to religious sentiment, Mohammed VI stressed in his message the pride of the nation in ‘the great patriotic spirit that distinguishes Moroccans’.
Encouraging investment
In the words of the head of government, Aziz Akhannouch, ‘the government will ensure that the ambitious royal vision is implemented with the necessary seriousness and speed, through a series of measures likely to guarantee the coordination and convergence of the missions of the institutions in charge’.
On the business side, the new measures seek to ensure that MREs have all the benefits found in the new Investment Charter. This means that, among the objectives of the new measures, are the facilitation and increase of investments by nationals residing far from their borders. Their judicial conditions will also be reviewed.
Finally, the monarch alluded to the need to improve access to resources, given that investment in the diaspora corresponds to only 10% of private foreign investment, a figure that they hope to improve with the implementation of these new commissions and measures.
