Budget, housing, trade, pharmaceuticals and investment: Highlights of this week's Government Council

On Thursday, the government convened a council chaired by Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch to discuss a number of projects and agreements.

The meeting was devoted to delivering a sectoral presentation, deliberating on a number of draft laws, reviewing an international agreement, and discussing proposals for appointment to senior positions in accordance with Article 92 of the Constitution.

A statement obtained by Hespress indicated that the government council attended a presentation delivered by Nadia Fattah, Minister of Economy and Finance, on the implementation of the Finance Law for 2023 and the preparation of the draft Finance Law for 2024. The presentation also provided precise budget programming for the next three years.

The speech addressed the development of the national and international economic situation during the first six months of the year and the results of implementing the Finance Law at the end of June 2023. It also contemplated the final expectations for the year as well as programming budgets for the next three years 2024-2026.

After that, the Council of Government deliberated and approved draft decree No. 2.23.647, specifying the date of the population and housing census in the Kingdom. The draft decree was presented by Abdelouafi Laftit, Minister of the Interior.

The council of government approved draft decree No. 2.23.590 related to changing the import fees imposed on some pharmaceutical products. The draft decree was presented by Khaled Ait Taleb, Minister of Health and Social Protection, on behalf of Faouzi Lakjaa, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of the budget.

According to the statement, this project aims at encouraging the national industry and facilitating citizens’ access to pharmaceutical products.

By reducing the amounts of the import fees applied to some pharmaceutical materials to 2.5 per cent, the project seeks “to avoid any disturbance in the supply of the local market while ensuring the implementation of contracts concluded by the health sector in the best conditions’’. 

The Council also reviewed an agreement between Morocco and the Republic of Sierra Leone signed on April 28, 2023, to encourage and ensure the protection of investments between the two countries.

This agreement aims to “encourage investments that contribute to sustainable development, promote technology transfer, create job opportunities, and enhance communication between the private sectors of the two countries’’

The council concluded its work by approving proposals for appointment to senior positions in accordance with Article 92 of the Constitution. Nada Beyaz was appointed as the head of the National Higher School of Administration, and Hussein Yahous was appointed as the regional inspector of urbanisation, architecture and preparation of the national territory of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region.

At the level of the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, Abdelmalek Faraj has been appointed as the director of the National Institute for Research in Fisheries, and Nabil Shawky as Director of the Official Laboratory for Analyses and Chemical Research in Casablanca. At the level of the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, Abdulaziz Al-Bogdaini was appointed as a general clerk.