King Mohammed VI chaired a meeting of the Council of Ministers at the Royal Palace in Rabat on Wednesday and reviewed several projects of high importance, Morocco’s News Agency (MAP) reported.
During the meeting, Fouzi Lekjaa, Minister Delegate in charge of the Budget and President of the 2030 World Cup Committee, presented a report on Morocco’s preparations as co-host for the world’s biggest football event.
Lekjaa provided an update on their progress since the King’s announcement last March in Kigali, Rwanda, of Morocco’s joint bid with Spain and Portugal. He highlighted the October 4, 2023, declaration that FIFA’s Council had unanimously selected the trio as the sole candidate, triggering an urgent push to meet FIFA’s requirements.
Submitted on July 29, 2024, the tripartite bid received an excellent evaluation score of 4.2 out of 5 in FIFA’s report published on November 29, 2024, well above the required standards.
The minister announced plans to establish a dedicated committee, aligning with the King’s directives, to oversee preparations with expanded representation including civil society, Moroccan expatriates, and African experts.
Key projects include stadium upgrades, expanding and renovating airports in six host cities, strengthening road and urban infrastructure, enhancing telecommunications, modernizing medical services, and implementing a training program to develop youth skills.
Other efforts include improving local infrastructure beyond host cities and expanding hotel and commercial facilities.
The minister stated: “The 2030 FIFA World Cup is not only a sports event, but also an opportunity to accelerate national economic growth, create jobs, boost tourism, and promote universal values of peace, unity, and sustainable development.”
The Council of Ministers approved six international agreements, four of which were bilateral and two multilateral. The bilateral agreements involve cooperation with European countries in several key areas, including driver’s license recognition, criminal cooperation, transnational crime mitigation, and military and technical collaboration.
The multilateral agreements address both aviation-related offenses and the charter establishing the organization for digital cooperation.
The monarch appointed Zouhair Chorfi as President of the National Electricity Regulation Authority (ANRE). He also instructed the relevant authorities to reform the energy sector, including electricity, gas, hydrogen, and related areas, to align with the Kingdom’s energy framework and with international best practices and its current development.