Marrakech – Morocco’s National Investment Commission has approved 381 investment convention projects and amendments since the start of the current government mandate, totaling approximately MAD 581 billion ($58.1 billion). The projects are expected to generate more than 245,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The figures were released Friday in a government report on the 2021-2026 mandate, as the ruling coalition, led by Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch, prepares to face voters in the September 23 legislative elections.
Of the 381 approved projects, 297 were greenlit after the new investment charter took effect in March 2023. Those 297 projects span various regions and sectors, carrying a combined investment volume of MAD 513 billion ($51.3 billion) and a projected 201,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The new charter, which came after a 25-year wait, established a revamped institutional framework for processing and supporting investment projects at both national and regional levels.
TPME support scheme picks up pace
A dedicated support mechanism for micro, small, and medium enterprises was officially launched on November 11, 2025, in Errachidia. Since then, 209 projects have been submitted to Regional Investment Centers.
Of those, 33 projects expecting to create around 940 direct jobs were approved by the Unified Regional Investment Commissions, for a total investment of nearly MAD 483 million ($48.3 million).
On a separate regional track, 179 projects valued at under MAD 250 million ($25 million) each were submitted to the Regional Investment Centers since the beginning of 2025. Some 83 of those projects received approval, representing a total investment of approximately MAD 8.1 billion ($810 million) and an estimated 11,000 direct jobs.
The government’s roadmap for improving the business environment, adopted on March 15, 2023, has reached a 98% launch rate for its planned initiatives, with 72% fully executed. Authorities indicated that efforts to complete the remaining initiatives are ongoing through 2026.
One notable reform concerns payment delays between enterprises. Since the entry into force of Law 69-21, which sets a legal payment deadline of 60 days for inter-company transactions, 68% of businesses now comply with the requirement.
The volume of inter-company receivables dropped from MAD 373 billion ($37.3 billion) in 2021 to MAD 315 billion ($31.5 billion) by the end of 2024, according to the Payment Delays Observatory.
Public procurement payment timelines have also tightened. In 2024, the average settlement period stood at 18 days for state entities and local governments, and 31.7 days for public establishments and enterprises, with 90% of entities meeting the legal deadline.
The government committed an overall public investment budget of MAD 1,600 billion ($160 billion) over the 2022-2026 period. That marks a 61% increase from the MAD 992 billion ($99.2 billion) allocated during the previous 2017-2021 mandate.
The funds were directed primarily toward social sectors and projects with direct impact on daily life, including university hospital centers, schools, and vocational training facilities.
‘More than 50 achievements in five years’
Akhannouch laid out the broader mandate record during an April 22 appearance before the House of Councillors. He told lawmakers the government had delivered “more than 50 achievements in five years,” citing macroeconomic stability, infrastructure development, and social state reforms.
On the social front, Akhannouch pointed to the April 30, 2022, social agreement, which raised the minimum wage in both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors and lowered the pension eligibility threshold from 3,240 contribution days to 1,320.
A second agreement in 2024 brought a MAD 1,000 ($100) general salary increase for all civil servants and employees, another minimum wage hike, and a revision of the income tax that effectively exempted a large number of salaried workers.
He also reported that 177 hospitals and over 3,100 healthcare facilities are now operational, alongside nearly 12,000 educational institutions, 758 of which were built during this mandate – 474 of them in rural areas. Nine Vocational Training Cities were also opened.
On rural development, Akhannouch noted the construction of over 20,000 kilometers of rural roads and 222 bridges to reduce isolation, along with 4,800 school construction and rehabilitation operations, 1,700 health facility interventions in rural and mountainous zones, and extensions of over 1,100 kilometers of electrical grid and 1,000 kilometers of drinking water networks.
Responding to criticism from parliamentary opposition groups, Akhannouch pushed back directly. “If there are those who are not pleased with what has been achieved, the majority of citizens feel the difference and recognize the roles the government has played,” he stated.
The investment and infrastructure figures form a central plank of the government’s record as it heads into what is expected to be a competitive electoral cycle this September.
Akhannouch himself will not be seeking a new mandate, but his National Rally of Independents (RNI) party will carry the coalition’s “50 achievements” in its five-year tenure into the September 23 vote. Whether voters share that assessment remains to be seen.
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