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Join on Telegram Morocco’s Ministry of Culture has allocated a budget of MAD 480 million ($52.87 million) for investments in cultural projects for the year 2021. The figure is 45.45% larger than the investment budget allocated for 2020, which stood at MAD 330 million ($36.35 million).
The ministry’s Department of Youth and Sports, meanwhile, will have an investment budget of MAD 2.65 billion ($291.88 million) in 2021, up 5.99% from 2020’s budget of MAD 2.5 billion ($275.36 million).
Minister of Culture Othman El Ferdaous announced the budget on Friday, November 27, during a presentation before the Educational, Cultural, and Social Affairs Committee at the House of Councilors.
The culture department’s investment budget will go towards cultural projects in various cities across Morocco, El Ferdaous said. The projects include the creation of cultural centers and music conservatories, the establishment of a geographic information system (GIS) for the identification of historical monuments, and the rehabilitation of cultural institutions.
The investment budget will also finance the design of an information system to facilitate visitors’ access to cultural institutions, such as museums and monuments. Part of the goal is to simplify revenue collection.
Meanwhile, the investment budget allocated to the youth and sports department will finance the rehabilitation of youth centers, the expansion of orphanages, the improvement of sports infrastructures, the promotion of sports medicine, and the construction of local playing fields.
Operating budgets
The ministry of culture’s operating budgets also witnessed increases between 2020 and 2021.
The department of culture will have an operating budget of MAD 450.72 million ($49.64 million) in 2021, compared to MAD 432.37 million ($47.62 million) in 2020 (+6.33%). The budget includes MAD 272.36 million ($30 million) for wages and MAD 178.36 million ($19.64 million) for other expenses.
The youth and sports department, meanwhile, will have an operating budget of MAD 923.38 million ($101.7 million) in 2021, compared to MAD 910.86 million ($100.32 million) in 2020 (+1.37%). The budget includes MAD 575.51 million ($63.39 million) for wages and MAD 347.86 million ($38.31 million) for other expenses.
Communication department
The Ministry of Culture’s third and final department, the department of communication, will have an investment budget of MAD 465.11 million ($51.23 million) in 2021. The figure represents a 0.33% increase compared to 2020.
The budget will mainly finance the management of national press organizations and support Moroccan press and communication companies.
The operating budget of the communication department will reach MAD 1.57 billion ($172.92 million) in 2021, marking a 0.69% increase compared to 2020. The budget includes MAD 85.04 million ($9.37 million) for wages and MAD 1.48 billion ($163.01 million) for material and miscellaneous expenses.
