Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Following Morocco’s strong efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on its most vulnerable people, the professor deemed a second fundraising campaign necessary for the recovery of the Moroccan economy.
This is the post-COVID-19 plan of Omar Kettani, a professor of economics at the Mohammed V University in Rabat, for a fast recovery of the Moroccan economy.
“We have quickly mobilized funds which have reached the equivalent of $9 billion, or almost 8% of the GDP. It is, therefore, feasible to relaunch the same mobilization in a second phase after the coronavirus,” said Kettani in an interview with Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).
The professor pointed out that the experience has shown there are at least three sources of funding, namely the state, civil society, and loans.
“These sources, which can be quickly mobilized, have born fruit since they have enabled Morocco to cope with the economic and social consequences of the lockdown,” said Kettani.
Meanwhile, he stressed the recovery policy must include a focus on rural areas. This means investing in high value-added sectors such as industrial production and in services absent in the countryside, according to the professor.
Read also: Can the COVID-19 Crisis Actualize a Paperless Morocco?
Rural Moroccans represent approximately 40% of the national population and mainly depend on agriculture for survival.
He subsequently called for the establishment of a vocational training plan in rural areas, particularly in the social field, which would create more job opportunities in the services sector.
In the context of a post-COVID-19 Morocco, Kettani projected a large exodus from rural areas and an increase in urban unemployment due to a shaky recovery in business activities.
For a successful economic restart, he also recommended relying on Morocco’s human capital by encouraging the culture of performance and social investment.
The professor has called on Moroccans to show a greater sense of patriotism by opting for domestically produced goods and reducing the consumption of imported luxury products.
