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Morocco’s 2021 Finance Bill allows the National Defense Administration, affiliated to the Head of Government’s office, to spend up to MAD 110.95 billion ($12.13 billion) on purchasing and repairing military equipment.
The Finance Bill, which the Moroccan government recently approved, defines the country’s state budget for the year 2021.
The expenditures of Morocco’s National Defense Administration have never reached the allowed amount. The figure announced in Article 33 of the Finance Bill represents the maximal budget that can go to military purchases and repairs in case of emergencies.
In the 2020 Finance Bill, the budget allowed for military purchases and repairs was MAD 3 million ($327,870) higher than this year.
Meanwhile, the operating budget of the National Defense Administration decreased by more than MAD 3 billion ($327.87 million), from MAD 45.43 billion in 2020 to MAD 42.29 billion in 2021 ($4.96 billion to $4.62 billion).
This year’s budget includes MAD 35.06 billion ($3.83 billion) for personnel wages and MAD 7.23 billion ($790.16 million) for other operating expenses.
The decline in Morocco’s military budget is mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the suspension of compulsory military service for Moroccans.
In terms of recruitment, the National Defense Administration will hire 4,200 military personnel and public servants, out of the 20,956 public service positions announced for the year 2021.
Morocco’s military will have the third-highest number of new positions. The Ministry of the Interior comes first, with 8,554 new jobs, followed by the Ministry of Health (5,500 positions).
