Some 179 projects have been completed and are currently in the operational phase for a total budget of 13.2 billion DH, while 336 projects are in the process of being completed and 236 others, with a budget of 25 billion DH, have still not been launched, said El Otmani at the monthly general policy session in the House of Representatives (lower house).
The government seeks, for the year 2021, to continue its efforts under the development program of the southern provinces, with the aim of developing basic infrastructure and services in these regions, the head of government said.
Several structuring projects will be launched, in particular the project of the new Dakhla Atlantique port, the seawater desalination plant, which will irrigate 5,000 hectares north of the city of Dakhla, and the installation of several wind farms in different southern provinces, he pointed out.
Moreover, the government ensures the implementation of the program to reduce territorial and social disparities and that of investment of companies and public establishments (EEP) for the year 2021, for a total investment of 4.5 billion dirhams, he said, while highlighting the important role of the Agency for the promotion of the economic and social development of the Provinces of the South of the Kingdom, created in 2002, within the framework of the follow-up of the various development programs of the three regions of the Kingdom, with particular attention to human development projects.
In this regard, El Otmani noted that the development programs put in place are, for the most part, supported by the various programs of local authorities, in particular the municipal action plans (PAC), the development programs of provinces or prefectures (PDP) or regional development programs (PDR), adding that the regions are fully committed to the program to reduce territorial and social disparities and to the urban development plan.
The development efforts made in the southern provinces reflect the ambition of the Kingdom, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to integrate these regions into the development process under way in the Kingdom, El Otmani said, noting that this dynamic has had a significant impact on development indicators, especially over the past two years.
The enrolment rate of children and young people between 6 and 22 years old has reached 81.8% in the southern provinces, against 74.9% nationally, while the rate of drinking water supply is 93.7% (compared to 72.9% nationally) and the rate of access to electricity is 93.8% (compared to 91.9% at the national level), he noted.
The southern provinces had 9,300 km of road in 2018 (including 4,400 km of national roads), against 350 km in 1975, he underlined, adding that the proportion of the urban population with a proper housing rose from 77.2% to 92%.
The growth rate of gross income per capita is 5.8% per year, surpassing that of several regions of the Kingdom and approaching from that of Casablanca-Settat, El Otmani stressed.
These investment efforts have helped reduce disparities in the distribution of growth, said El Otmani.
The head of government further recalled that the new development model of the southern provinces, developed in a participatory and broad manner involving several living forces and inhabitants of the southern provinces, aims to develop these provinces and strengthen their integration with the rest of the Kingdom's regions by strengthening infrastructure, ensuring means of transport, stimulating private investment and supporting businesses and human development projects.