El Fondo impulsado por Mohamed VI para la gestión de la epidemia alcanza los 3.000 millones de euros

The special fund launched by King Mohamed VI of Morocco to combat the consequences of the coronavirus epidemic reached 32 billion dirhams - the equivalent of 3 billion euros - on 24 April. This was confirmed by the Minister of Economy, Finance and Administration Reform, Mohamed Benchaaboun, in a parliamentary session held on Sunday. And the amount of the Fund does not stop increasing, as shown by the donations registered in the last hours.  

Benchaaboun also revealed that 6.2 billion dirhams - a little less than 600 million euros - had been spent from the same fund - which the monarch launched on March 15 - for the purchase of medical equipment and devices, the daily Le Matin du Sahara et du Maghreb reported on Monday.  Of that amount, 2 billion dirhams - that is, more than 185 million euros - have been allocated to the Ministry of Health, which has reinforced the equipment in the health infrastructure. With this money, "469 resuscitation beds, 580 hospital beds and 410 respirators have been bought", explained the Minister of Economy in Parliament. 

The Moroccan cabinet member also noted that 132,000 companies out of 216,000 affiliated to the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) had been adversely affected by the coronavirus crisis. "These companies have declared 800,000 workers temporarily unemployed," he said from Rabat Benchaaboun.  The head of Economy said that about 2,000 million dirhams - equivalent to more than 185 million euros - from the aforementioned solidarity fund would go every month to help employees affected by the situation. 
 

Just this Tuesday we also discovered that the National Social Security Fund had made seven polyclinics available to the public health system - of the 13 it has spread throughout Moroccan territory - to relieve the pressure on the system, reported Médias 24. 

Likewise, the head of the Economy Department explained that around 4.3 million families whose members were operating in the informal sector have benefited from aid from the aforementioned solidarity fund, according to Le Matin du Sahara et du Maghreb. According to the minister, some 16,000 aid distribution points have been made available to Moroccans and 80% of the financial aid had already reached the most disadvantaged households by last Sunday. 

In addition, Benchaaboun announced the latest measures taken by the government in conjunction with the banking sector. As of 24 April, requests for postponement of the repayment of bank loans and those related to leasing loans amounted to 416,000 requests (assuming a total of 33 billion dirhams, more than 3 billion euros). According to the Minister of the Government of Morocco, 310,000 of these applications have been processed and accepted, 5 per cent have been rejected and the rest are still in process.
 

The Minister of Economy, Finance and Administration Reform also referred to the Oxygen Financing programme, launched to help companies whose turnover does not exceed 500 million dirhams (about 46 million euros): Benchaaboun said that 9,000 loans had already been granted, for a total value of 3.7 billion dirhams (just under 343 million euros).

And the solidarity does not stop. This Tuesday, the pan-African platform of investments in infrastructures Africa50, based in Casablanca, announced a contribution to the aforementioned solidarity fund for the management of the pandemic in Morocco of 2.5 million dirhams (a little more than 231,000 euros).  According to a statement from the platform collected by the InfoMédiaire website, the donation is part of the COVID-19 Response Support Initiative, launched by Africa50. The institution has allocated around 8 million dirhams (more than EUR 740,000) to support the efforts of African countries to stop the spread of the pathogen.
 

Furthermore, this Saturday a note from MAP announced, following a note from the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity, that the Alaouite monarch had given instructions for the launch of Operation Ramadan 1441, which aims to provide food aid to 600,000 needy families in the country. Among them are 459,504 rural residents. 

"In continuation of the national effort to combat the effects of COVID-19 initiated by His Majesty King Mohammed VI and in application of the Sovereign's high instructions, the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity has been mobilized for the organization of the 21st edition of the Ramadan food aid operation," the note continued. "An essential mobilization, during this period of the holy month of Ramadan, for national solidarity to continue to provide aid and comfort to vulnerable individuals and families living in precarious situations, and to reduce the socio-economic effects of the pandemic," continued the statement from the aforementioned Foundation.

The Foundation emphasizes that it has strengthened its means to expand the coverage of families receiving food support. The total number of families has increased to 600,000 (100,000 more than in the previous edition), with a total investment of 85 million dirhams (almost 7.9 million euros) for the purchase of food and logistics. These families are located throughout the country and the criteria for the application of the aid have considered the size of the population, the area of housing (rural/urban) and the level of poverty and vulnerability.

Through this large-scale outreach action, food will be provided to three million people, particularly the elderly, widows and the disabled in poor and rural areas in 83 provinces and prefectures, says MAP. The food basket represents solidarity aid aimed at alleviating the food needs associated with Ramadan. The 21st edition of Operation Ramadan is the result of the efforts of the Ministry of the Interior, the Directorate-General for Local Communities and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, National Mutual Aid, the Ministry of Health, the Royal Gendarmerie, the FAR social works (DGSS), the National Promotion and Auxiliary Forces, and the provincial and local authorities.

In this period of confinement, the Foundation and its partners have had to adapt the distribution system to ensure the safety of the beneficiaries, the state agency echoes the Foundation's note. The distribution will be carried out according to the protocol and procedures adapted by the local authorities, and thanks to committees that will inform the beneficiary families and organize the delivery of food aid directly to households, from door to door.
 

In addition, the EU delegation in Morocco announced on Monday an aid of 1.5 billion dirhams (about 139 million euros) for Morocco's education policy, specifically for distance education in the context of the pandemic. According to the EU headquarters in Rabat, the aim of the aid is to build a "strong relationship between parents and schools". "A close relationship between parents and schools also offers parents the opportunity to ensure the quality of the education provided and to become actors in school life, in particular through parents' associations, whose role and mission should be strengthened and clarified," states the note issued on the subject by the institution. 

The agreement was signed by the EU ambassador in Morocco, Claudia Wiedey, the Moroccan Minister for the Economy, Mohamed Benchaaboun, the Minister for Education, Said Amzazi, and the Director General of the National Agency for the Fight against Illiteracy, Mahmoud Abdesamih, reported Médias 24. The EU had already allocated 450 million euros to the solidarity fund in March for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. 
 

In the meantime, the COVID-19 epidemic is keeping records similar to those of recent days in the neighboring country. With data from this Tuesday, Morocco reached 4,252 confirmed cases and 165 deaths. In total, the health authorities of the Maghreb country have made around 31,000 detection tests, far from the promised figures. Morocco, which is living through Ramadan, is currently in a state of health emergency, which will last until 20 May.