Shifting Paradigms for Sustainable Territorial Development
The future of Morocco's territorial development hinges on a significant methodological shift, a theme that resonated through the discussions at the 9th edition of the Morocco Today Forum (MTF), held this year in Errachidia. The forum's theme, "The Morocco of Territories: Towards an Integrated and Inclusive Emergence," aligns closely with the Royal High Guidelines, particularly the Throne Speech delivered by His Majesty King Mohammed VI on July 30, 2025, where he emphasized the importance of a unified Morocco that does not advance at two speeds. This vision gained concrete expression during the Ministerial Council chaired by the King in April 2026, which unveiled key components of the governance framework for the new generation of Integrated Territorial Development Programs (PDTI). With a substantial budget of nearly 210 billion dirhams allocated over eight years, this transformative reform aims to reshape the design, implementation, and evaluation of public territorial policies to better reflect local realities while enhancing national oversight.
Choosing Errachidia as the venue for this significant event, organized under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and in partnership with the Draâ-Tafilalet Regional Council, is emblematic. As highlighted by Mohammed Haitami, CEO of Groupe Le Matin, during the inaugural session, this region exemplifies both the immense potential of Moroccan territories and the enduring disparities that exist. Recent data from the High Commission for Planning indicates that Draâ-Tafilalet contributes only 3% to the national GDP, in stark contrast to the 32.3% contributed by Casablanca-Settat, with nearly two-thirds of public investments concentrated in just three regions. These indicators underscore the pressing need for a more balanced approach to territorial development.
Collaboration and Innovation: The Future of Regionalization
Public officials, elected representatives, private sector leaders, experts, and economic operators converged on a shared belief: the success of advanced regionalization now relies on improved alignment between public policies, more effective governance, empowered territories, and digital transformation aimed at benefiting citizens. The first panel, titled "From Vision to Impact: Advanced Regionalization in Light of the Latest Royal High Guidelines," illuminated the philosophy underpinning the new generation of Integrated Territorial Development Programs. Jelloul Samsseme, the wali and Director General of Territorial Collectivities, emphasized that the true breakthrough lies not in the nature of investments but in their design process. He asserted that while public investments will continue to support infrastructure such as roads and schools, the priorities must be articulated by the territories themselves.
This approach mirrors the strategic workshop held prior to the forum, where experts, academics, state representatives, and civil society actors identified several critical conditions for successful regionalization. These include clear delineation of responsibilities across governance levels, expedited administrative decentralization, enhanced capacities of territorial actors, and regular evaluations of public policy impacts. Moreover, Karim Achengli, President of the Souss-Massa Regional Council, reiterated that the new PDTIs do not undermine regional prerogatives; rather, they serve as tools to implement projects decided by regional councils while urging the swift transfer of competencies to local authorities.
The discussions highlighted that the effectiveness of this new generation of programs will depend on strengthened territorial governance, improved coordination among decision-making levels, and a more rigorous culture of public policy evaluation. The second panel addressed "The Attractiveness of Territories for Citizens and Businesses: Conditions for Genuine Transformation," demonstrating that while infrastructure remains essential, it is no longer sufficient alone to foster sustainable development. Adil Raïs, President of the Regional and Territorial Development Commission of the CGEM, pointed out that the main barriers faced by investors are now more related to administrative functioning than to a lack of infrastructure. He stressed that simplification involves not only reducing the number of required documents but also ensuring prompt responses within manageable timelines.
Moreover, the importance of human capital was underscored as a key factor in enhancing territorial attractiveness. Mohammed Haitami emphasized the necessity of providing not just economic opportunities but also quality education, healthcare services, modern infrastructure, and living conditions that can attract and retain skilled professionals and their families. Sabah Chraïbi, co-chair of Resofem and expert in territorial policies, noted that leveraging local competencies is essential for regional development, and promoting female entrepreneurship represents a significant growth lever for territories. The participants also emphasized the need for more effective evaluation mechanisms to concretely measure the outcomes of territorial policies and adjust public actions based on observed impacts.
The third panel, titled "Digital Technology and Artificial Intelligence: Governance for a True Revolution in Public Services," highlighted the critical role that digital technologies will play in the success of advanced regionalization. Presenting the orientations of the Digital Morocco 2030 strategy, Mohammed Amine Hajji, Director General of Digital Transition at the Ministry of Digital Transition and Public Administration Reform, explained the ambition to sustainably bring public administration closer to citizens through fully digitized services. This vision aligns with the objectives presented during the forum, which position digital technology as a major lever for enhancing the proximity between administration and users, aiming to simplify administrative procedures, develop interoperability between administrations, and provide faster, smoother, and fairer access to public services across the national territory.
Beyond the dematerialization of processes, Hajji stressed the importance of developing artificial intelligence solutions tailored to the specific realities of each region, particularly through the Jazari network, which aims to connect local authorities, universities, research centers, businesses, and startups around territorial innovation projects. Lamiae Benmakhlouf, General Director of Maroc Technopark, confirmed the ambition to gradually deploy Technoparks in all regions to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems and encourage the emergence of local technological entrepreneurship. Furthermore, artificial intelligence is poised to be a powerful lever for transforming the financial sector. Yassine Sekkat, Deputy General Director in charge of strategy and transformation at Saham Bank, noted that generative and agentic AI will fundamentally change customer relationships, internal processes, and credit granting methods.
In conclusion, the discussions culminated in a common vision advocating for the development of public policies based on the real needs of territories, with closer involvement of citizens, elected officials, administrations, universities, businesses, and civil society in their formulation. Participants called for accelerating the digital transformation of public services, developing regional innovation ecosystems that unite local authorities, research centers, universities, Technoparks, and startups, as well as pooling digital platforms, infrastructures, and cybersecurity measures. Finally, there was a unanimous emphasis on investing in human capital, training, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship to enable each territory to fully leverage its assets. The Morocco Today Forum not only spotlighted ongoing projects and infrastructure but also underscored the emergence of a new culture of public action grounded in proximity, consultation, results evaluation, territorial accountability, and collective intelligence. This dynamic is fully aligned with the ambition expressed in the Royal High Guidelines: to make advanced regionalization the driving force behind more balanced, inclusive, and equitable development across all of the Kingdom's territories.
As reported by lematin.ma.
