Morocco Allocates MAD 1 Billion to Boost Rural Employment

As part of the government’s employment strategy set to take effect in 2025, Morocco’s Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment, and Skills, Younes Sekkouri, announced on Monday that MAD 1 billion has been allocated to support employment in rural areas.

During question time at the House of Representatives, Sekkouri stated that his department has developed a significant integration program, built around active employment promotion initiatives, which will be implemented in the coming year.

He noted that the mechanisms and solutions tailored to facilitate the economic integration of youth in rural areas are divided into three main areas, including vocational training, “one of the key drivers of economic integration in rural areas”.

In rural areas, there are 67 vocational training institutions, he recalled, including 55 in the agriculture sector and 12 managed by the National Office for Vocational Training and Employment Promotion (OFPPT).

Additionally, 22 mobile training units target around 3,000 beneficiaries, while 139 boarding schools provide accommodation for nearly 17,000 people in rural areas, he added. These training programs cover essential fields such as poultry, cattle, sheep, and goat farming, large-scale crops, electro-mechanics, rural engineering, repair of motorized machinery and agricultural equipment, as well as horticulture, in addition to specialties that facilitate the direct integration of young people into their local environment.

The minister emphasized the career development program, which aims to increase the number of beneficiaries from 20,000 to 100,000, in line with the priorities set out in the 2025 Finance Bill. He also mentioned other programs, which will soon be revealed as part of the government’s employment strategy, primarily targeting individuals without diplomas, the majority of whom reside in rural areas.