Moroccan official urges Moroccan expatriates in france to invest in low-cost housing
Morocco, Economics, 6/10/2003

Moroccan delegate minister in charge of housing and urbanism, Taoufik Hjira, urged on Saturday Moroccans living in France to invest massively in low-cost housing projects in Morocco.

Hjira told a group of Moroccan investors, part of the Moroccan Housing Salon held in Rainey (Paris suburbs), the sector currently represents 30 per cent of domestic investment and 6 per cent of the Moroccan GDP, and it employs 11 per cent of the national manpower.

According to the delegate minister, the low-cost housing sector in Morocco registered "alarming delays." The number of social houses built annually, he added, is estimated at 45,000 units whereas there should be more than 125,000 additional units to meet housing needs accumulated since the first years of independence.

Nearly 1,3 million persons in urban areas do not live in decent housing and the situation is even worse in rural areas, he went on.

Hjira spoke about the measures undertaken by the government to address the problem, stressing that it decided to directly involve the private sector in the construction and promotion of housing destined for poor urban populations.

The minister added that a guarantee fund will be created to allow Moroccans with limited income or without fix revenues to have access to decent housing.

The call for Moroccans expatriates in France to invest in the housing sector is in line with the sovereign's instructions to reduce unhealthy housing and slums in Morocco and provide the population with decent housing.

The Moroccan government has set a target of building 100,000 houses annually to fight unhealthy housing.

The Moroccan housing exhibition, that showcases various low-cost housing projects in Morocco, aims to promote social housing.

Hjira's meeting with expatriates in France will be followed with other encounters with Moroccans living in Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy and that will also focus on the participation of Moroccan expatriates in the promotion of social housing in Morocco.

Previous Stories:
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  US start third FTA round   (6/5/2003)
  Morocco woos expats for real estate investment   (6/4/2003)

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