Over 4.4 million Moroccans apply for direct social aid program, says Minister Fattah

The National Direct Social Support platform, launched by the government almost a year ago, has received a total of 4.4 million applications by the end of April 2024. 

Minister of Economy and Finance Nadia Fettah revealed the data during her address to the Council of Advisers on Tuesday evening.

The minister said that Morocco has adopted modern and transparent mechanisms for registering families.

Responding to a verbal question posed by advisers from the Social Justice group about the matter, Fettah said that the number of families benefiting from direct social support amounted to 3,346,000.

Despite criticisms and issues raised by some regarding the eligibility criteria or registration process, Fettah vigorously defended the outcome of the project. 

The minister said that the project embodies the concept of the social state, which she stated has become a “realistic fact since December 2023.”

Fettah further added that the evidence of the project’s success lies in the increasing numbers of beneficiaries and targeted families. The number of beneficiaries is currently approaching 12 million Moroccans benefiting from direct social support, which has cost the state budget around MAD 2 billion so far.

The minister also mentioned that MAD 25 billion allocated within the 2024 budget will be disbursed to targeted families. 

Fettah attributed the success of this initiative to the involvement of the banking sector in ensuring timely disbursement to rightful recipients.

The minister said that the direct support for families has started ahead of schedule and has had a significant impact.

“We recognize it as a success for all Moroccans, but this does not mean there are no questions or issues regarding registration,” said Fettah.

According to the minister, 75% of people in villages have registered electronically on the support platform, mentioning the implemented procedures and digitization as key factors for the succes of the initiative.

Fettah noted that “monitoring is carried out regarding certain data to verify eligibility for direct support,” noting that “some cases of fraud have been recorded.” She concluded by asserting that “sustainability will be ensured by the framework law for social protection through the consolidation of existing systems and programs, and the gradual phasing out of subsidies. However, the principle remains targeted through the defined threshold based on unified social registry criteria.”