The Ministry of the Interior revealed it is “in the final stages of developing a project that will enable citizens to apply for or renew their passports remotely, removing the need for in-person visits to administrative offices.”
The Ministry also stated that it seeks to “advance the royal vision on migration by implementing the National Strategy for Migration and Asylum, which aims to humanize migration and asylum matters and strengthen protections and rights for migrants against trafficking networks.”
Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit explained during the review of his ministry’s 2025 sub-budget that a total of 49.39 billion MAD has been allocated, including commitment appropriations, noting that the operating budget stands at 40.39 billion MAD, with 35.88 billion directed toward personnel costs and 4.51 billion for equipment and other expenses.
During a meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Interior, Territorial Communities, Housing, and Urban Policy, Laftit outlined that the total investment budget is set at 8.99 billion MAD, divided into 4.55 billion MAD for payments and 4.44 billion for commitments.
The Minister also reported that authorities “successfully blocked around 54,570 irregular migration attempts and dismantled 239 criminal networks involved in illegal migration,” explaining that during this period, the Royal Moroccan Navy rescued 16,000 people from drowning, offering them assistance and support as they attempted to cross the sea clandestinely by boat.”
Regarding the protection of migrants targeted by criminal networks, Laftit explained that the government has “been encouraging the voluntary return of irregular migrants, working with the diplomatic missions of their home countries in Morocco, all while ensuring their rights and dignity are respected, noting that “this year, 4,388 migrants voluntarily returned to their countries of origin.”
As to water scarcity, the Minister said, “as part of the 2020-2027 National Program for Drinking Water and Irrigation, particularly the 2022-2024 phase focused on small dams, hillside dams, and securing drinking water in rural areas, 1.52 billion MAD from the state budget was allocated in 2024 to finance these projects.”
Laftit said the ministry has allocated “1.8 billion MAD by the end of September this year as direct financial support to territorial communities, from their share of VAT revenue.” He explained that “2024 has been marked by a lack of rainfall, and a national assessment of drinking water supply has been carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Equipment and Water, water distributors, and local authorities.”
The minister also noted that “certain cities and areas facing water supply shortages have been identified,” emphasizing that “the government and water distributors have taken urgent measures to ensure these cities and areas are provided with drinking water, especially in the Casablanca-Settat region and the Moulouya, Oum Er-Rbia, and Tensift basins.”
He stated that his ministry “played a role this year in developing and implementing an emergency supplementary program to ensure drinking water supply to areas affected by water scarcity,” adding that “the total cost of the program is estimated at around 9.18 billion MAD. As part of this effort, an emergency plan was carried out to deliver drinking water to local communities using tanker trucks.”
Laftit also announced that the program “reached about 2.7 million people by the end of September 2024, covering nearly 1,000 villages and rural centers across 75 provinces and regions.”
He added that wastewater treatment “received total financial support of 13 billion MAD through the wastewater and solid waste treatment fund, including 800 million MAD from the Ministry of the Interior’s budget and 500 million MAD from the Ministry of Equipment and Water’s budget.”
As to expanding social protection, the minister reported that the program targeting beneficiaries of social support programs—comprising the National Population Register and the Unified Social Register—is “continuing to mobilize efforts from various agencies at both the central and territorial levels.”
He highlighted that “over 21.6 million people have been registered in the National Population Register, while the Unified Social Register has 18.9 million registered individuals.”
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