Rabat – Morocco’s progress in social protection took the spotlight this Wednesday during the “MENA Social Protection Roundtable” held as part of the World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings.
Wafaa Jamali, Director General of Morocco’s National Agency for Social Support (ANSS), spoke about her country’s recent efforts to provide better care and support for its most vulnerable citizens.
She shared that social protection, once seen as a feature of wealthier countries, is now becoming a reality across the Middle East and North Africa.
“Morocco has proudly joined the group of countries that are reshaping this narrative,” she said, pointing out that the Covid-19 crisis pushed the country to rethink and improve its social policies.
Under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, Morocco launched a major reform, she said. It began with universal health insurance in 2022. Then in 2024, the country started a large-scale cash transfer program to help families in need.
This program now supports about 4 million households, more than 12 million people. Among them are 5.6 million children and over one million older adults. Families receive monthly support for each child from birth up to age 21.
To make sure the help goes to the right people, Morocco created a national digital system that tracks household living conditions and uses a scoring system to decide who qualifies, Jamali remarked.
She explained that the program is fully funded by the Moroccan government, using money saved from subsidy reforms and better planning of social spending. The current budget is $2.5 billion and is expected to grow to $3 billion, equal to about 2% of Morocco’s GDP.
But she noted that the goal is not only to fight poverty, as the program also aims to improve education, healthcare, nutrition, and job opportunities, especially for young people and women.
The ANSS is working to connect families with local services, including job training, support for working mothers, and better child development programs.
She ended by saying that Morocco’s experience proves that social protection is possible for all countries and can lead to long-term, inclusive growth.
“In a world that is increasingly defined by interconnected challenges, particularly for countries in the MENA Region, I’m sure that we will leave this session inspired by actionable insights on how social protection can unlock scalable and inclusive impact while reshaping the future of the next generations,” Jamali concluded.
The session brought together policymakers and experts from across the region to exchange experiences and find new ways to support vulnerable communities.
