Around 347,277 families benefited from the national “Slum-Free Cities” program by the end of June 2024, for a total budget of 45.7 billion MAD, Fatima Ezzahra El, Mansouri, Minister of National Territory Planning, Land Planning, Housing, and City Policy announced during an Upper House session on Wednesday.
At a presentation to the Committee on Internal Affairs, Local Government, Housing, and Urban Policy, El Mansouri reported that of the 465,000 families registered as of the end of June 2024, 117,505 have not yet benefited from the national program”, which aims to eradicate slums from 85 Moroccan cities.
With regard to the program, 24,804 families have benefited from accommodation in existing or under construction units.
The number of unprogrammed families has increased to approximately 120,000, according to the latest updates from El Mansouri. By the end of 2024, the rate of families covered by the program should increase by 72%.
She highlighted the challenges in monitoring the program, such as identifying beneficiaries, defining eligibility criteria, addressing land regularization, and requiring integrated approaches that extend beyond housing to include public infrastructure and essential services, highlighting the need for improved approaches.
The data from the presentation indicates a notable acceleration in housing conditions for approximately 44,000 families over the current government term.
The annual treatment rate increased from 6,200 families per year between 2018 and 2021 to 18,000 families over the past two and a half years, representing a 290% improvement.
El Mansouri confirmed that the Ministry is working to reduce the proliferation of slums. She noted that the proliferation rate fell from 10,400 families per year between 2012 and 2021 to 6,500 families annually during the current administration, representing a 48% decline.
The Ministry of Housing has developed a five-year action plan from 2024 to 2028 to eliminate slums and provide decent housing for approximately 120,000 families.
“The families will be housed in apartments costing up to 300,000 MAD per unit, with a contribution of 100,000 MAD from the Ministry,” she said.