A recent study has revealed that partnerships established by Moroccan entities with foreign organizations and institutions present significant opportunities for enhancing development projects, transferring expertise, and attracting funding. However, the presence of these partnerships within regional development programs appears to be inconsistent. Certain agreements are closely tied to specific projects, while others are framed in broad terms without precise details regarding implementation, financing, and monitoring.
Published in the journal "Regional Science Policy & Practice," the study analyzed legal texts and development programs from the twelve Moroccan regions, alongside institutional reports and research that addressed regionalism and decentralized cooperation in Morocco. The findings indicate that international cooperation has become more prominent in the operations of regional authorities during the years of advanced regionalization. Nonetheless, the degree of integration of this cooperation into development planning varies across regions, particularly in terms of project identification, budget allocation, and outcome measurement indicators.
Inconsistent Development Across Regions
The comparative analysis of development programs across the twelve Moroccan regions highlighted that Casablanca-Settat and Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima are among the regions where international cooperation is more clearly reflected in regional planning. In Casablanca-Settat, the study identified partnerships related to sectors such as logistics and vocational training, accompanied by arrangements to monitor specific projects. Meanwhile, in Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, international partnerships are evident in areas including coastal management and renewable energy, with a clearer connection between some aspects of cooperation and the projects outlined in development programs.
Conversely, other regions exhibited less detailed involvement in their programs, where international cooperation sometimes appeared merely as an opportunity to attract funding or expertise without a comprehensive definition of the associated projects, partners, or financial resources. The study categorized Marrakech-Safi and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra as instances where international cooperation is implicitly mentioned, while regions such as Drâa-Tafilalet, Béni Mellal-Khénifra, and the East showed a more limited presence in this regard.
Opportunities for Funding and Knowledge Transfer
The study posits that partnerships with foreign entities can provide regions with additional capabilities to implement development projects, whether through funding, training, or the transfer of technical expertise, as well as learning from the experiences of local authorities in other countries. The ability to attract such opportunities varies according to each region's experience in project preparation, negotiation, and building international relationships, in addition to the extent of cooperative networks developed over the years.
Key sectors such as infrastructure, renewable energy, training, and services stand to benefit from this type of collaboration when agreements are linked from the outset to specific projects within the development program. The researchers emphasize the significance of coordination among different stakeholders to ensure that projects supported by external partners align with the developmental priorities established in each region. Clarity regarding objectives, funding, and timelines enables effective monitoring of the outcomes of each partnership, allowing stakeholders to assess how much each partnership has contributed to achieving a project, improving a service, or transferring expertise to local actors.
The study's findings indicate that merely signing agreements is insufficient for measuring the impact of international cooperation; the value of partnerships increases when integrated into a clear development program and associated with a feasible project that can be monitored. The researchers recommend strengthening the linkage between external partnerships and development programs, while clearly defining financial resources, expected outcomes, and indicators to evaluate achievements over time.
Moreover, there is an emphasis on supporting the capabilities of regions with less experience in international cooperation to help them prepare project proposals, communicate with partners, and leverage available funding and expertise opportunities. These conclusions come in the context of advanced regionalization, which has expanded the roles of regions in developing programs and building partnerships, opening up new avenues for collaboration with local authorities and institutions outside Morocco. The comparison among regions reveals a diverse accumulation of experiences over the years, while the challenge remains to translate as many of these relationships as possible into clear projects that address the needs of the population and the priorities of each territorial area.
According to the study, the impact of international cooperation is primarily determined by its integration into planning from the outset, as partnerships that are connected to a specific goal, funding, project, and monitoring indicators are more likely to yield tangible results compared to agreements that remain within a general framework.
As reported by hespress.com.
