Morocco expounds housing policy at African meeting
Morocco-Regional, Economics, 10/4/2001

Morocco expounded on Wednesday at the second session of the African regional group of parliamentarians for housing, held in Rabat this Oct.2-5, its low-cost housing policy.

Since the early 70's, Morocco's low-cost housing policy focused on improving living conditions of people with limited income, which reduced the rate of urban families living in unhealthy lodgings from 13% in 1982 to 6.7% in 1992, said a document distributed to participants.

Morocco has also launched in 1995 a program to eradicate slums and build 200,000 low-cost housing units and after a census of slums and illegal constructions in 1992 and 1993, the government launched a program consisting of 84 projects that will directly benefit 105,975 families, ie 40% of households living in irregular constructions and 12% of families living in other inadequate lodgings (old city and rural houses).

The program cost 6.5 billion DH (US$ 593.4 million). Under the program that targets families living on less than 3,600 DH per month (US$ 327), the state pays for a part of the interest rate and gives to private real estate promoters loan facilities and easier conditions to buy state-own land.

The document also points out that a set of legal and encouragement measures started to be taken to address the issue of unhealthy housing.

Meanwhile, last August, King Mohammed VI analyzed the phenomenon and called for urgent actions, giving a strong impetus to the present housing policy.

A Moroccan official announced that 15,000 new slums units are reported annually. Mohamed El Yazghi, minister of territory development, housing and environment, said at a press conference some 320,000 families are living in slums, including 50% who are concentrated on the Kenitra-Safi axis (Atlantic shore). The city of Casablanca, alone, has 25% of Morocco's slums.

King Mohammed VI had urged last August to fight unhealthy housing and to ponder, thoroughly and daringly, on means of struggling against what he called "one of the most shocking symptoms of social deficit."

After he deplored the failure by the bodies entrusted with fighting unhealthy housing to fulfil their mission, the king warned "this evolution might have the most pernicious impact on the balance of our social fabric and the healthiness of our environment" and "hamper development efforts." The government was also urged to start drafting a legal, regulatory frame for a well-defined national program, meant to eradicate the existing unhealthy lodgings.

Several African representatives and delegates of international and UN specialized organizations will be attending the meeting which coincides with the marking on October 1st with the world housing day on the theme "cities without slums."

Participants will present reports by representatives and parliament speakers on progress in the implementation of a project to create housing committees within African parliaments, recommended by the group 1st session held in September 2000 in Abuja (Nigeria).

The forum, which is closely working with the United Nations Center for humanitarian organizations, seeks to develop international legislation in housing and town planning and encourage the involvement of parliamentarians in working out and carrying out urbanism development initiatives.

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