Morocco is committed to enhancing the transparency and performance of its public finance management system, affirmed Fouzi Lekjaa, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of the Budget on Friday in Rabat.
Speaking at a workshop on the dissemination of the 2023 Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) evaluation results, Lekjaa noted that the evaluation, covering the period from 2020 to 2022, demonstrated high performance in Morocco’s public finance management since the last assessment.
These achievements reflect Morocco’s ongoing commitment to improving the efficiency and transparency of its public finance management system, Lekjaa stated.
The report underscores “the credibility of our budget forecasts, which directly stem from the clarity of our objectives,” he elaborated.
Lekjaa emphasized that the country is well aware of its current position and future direction, with clearly defined programs and goals set for 2030.
The report also highlights improvements in the legal framework and increased transparency of operations while stressing the effectiveness of the control system and the credibility of the Audits Court work.
Lekjaa pointed out that the report identified areas needing enhancement, particularly in reducing the publication timeframe for the settlement law and establishing guidelines for investment project programming, including gender impact assessments.
World Bank Operations Director for the Maghreb, Moustapha Ndiaye, highlighted the significance of the PEFA framework, which has been an international standard for diagnosing public finance management for over 20 years.
“Today, PEFA is adopted by more than 150 countries, allowing for the evaluation of public finance management performance based on specific elements, serving as a preferred dialogue tool for reform priorities and their implementation planning,” he explained.
For Morocco, the PEFA evaluation was conducted using an agile approach, with over 60% of public finance management indicators receiving the highest ratings of A, B, or B+, demonstrating the strength of Morocco’s public finance management system.
Ndiaye reaffirmed the World Bank’s role as a leader among technical and financial partners, emphasizing their commitment to supporting Morocco in implementing ongoing public finance management reform projects and those arising from the action plan from this evaluation.
The 2023 assessment, Morocco’s third following evaluations in 2009 and 2016, is based on the objective analysis of 31 indicators grouped into seven pillars, addressing three major evaluation objectives: budget discipline, strategic resource allocation, and effective resource use for service delivery.
This edition introduced a complementary module assessing gender-sensitive public finance management, reflecting the achieved performances.
Covering the period from 2020 to 2022, the evaluation revealed overall high performance in Morocco’s public finance management since the previous assessment, with nine indicators showing positive progress and ten maintaining the same performance.
In addition to the achievements in integrating gender into budget programming, the PEFA report highlighted several aspects, including the credibility of budget forecasts, transparency in subsidy transfers, and the implementation of a performance-based approach in debt management procedures.
It noted rigorous monitoring of financial assets, significant development in public procurement systems, reliable quarterly budget execution reports, high integrity of financial data, and the high credibility of the Audits Court.