Direct housing assistance: Latest figures
Fatima Zahra Mansouri is watching the progress of direct housing assistance like a hawk. Indeed, the Minister of Land Planning and Housing never misses an opportunity to take stock of this new support system launched last January. According to her, as of July 2, 16,300 beneficiaries had benefited from the scheme. The value of the homes acquired amounts to 6.3 billion Dirhams (USD 630 million), with the Government contributing 28%, namely 1.3 billion Dirhams (USD 130 million). These latest figures were provided recently by the Minister to the House of Representatives’ Committee on the Interior and Local Authorities. In her presentation, she pointed out that 44% of beneficiaries are women, and 39% are young people under 35. In addition, 22% are Moroccan Residents Abroad whose homes are worth an estimated 1.6 billion Dirhams (USD 160 million), representing an 18% contribution from the Government.
During her presentation to M.P.s, the Minister did not omit to highlight the sector’s indicators, which have been on the rise since the launch of this new system, which was set up to replace the old social housing program that ended in 2020.
Between May 2023 and last May, indicators confirming the recovery of the construction sector were provided. The number of authorized projects rose by 16%, and cement sales by 20%. The upward trend was extended to mortgages, with an increase of more than 1.5%. Loans to property developers were also up by 3.82%. The Minister’s presentation also covered the distribution of beneficiaries by region. The regions of Fez-Meknes, Casablanca-Settat, and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra came out on top. The leading region is Fez-Meknes, with 5,565 beneficiaries. It is followed by Casablanca-Settat with 5,492 beneficiaries, and Rabat-Salé-Kenitra, with 2003. In terms of beneficiaries per province, Fez came first with 2,706, followed by Berrechid with 2,225 beneficiaries,, Meknes with 1,891 beneficiaries, and Kénitra with 1,156 beneficiaries,.
By July 2, the digital platform had registered a total of 81,683 applications, 89% of which were eligible for housing assistance. Of the total number of applications, 39% were submitted by women, 37% by young people under 35, and 20% by Moroccans living abroad (MREs).
In addition, it is worth noting the measures taken to implement this program, through various partnerships developed to ensure the success of this initiative. The Minister mentioned the signing of an agreement with the Caisse de dépôt et de gestion (CDG) financial institution, provident branch, for the creation of a digital platform dedicated to the management of the aid mechanism. The aim is to make procedures paperless and simpler, control delays, and improve management, while ensuring transparency. The aim is to enable beneficiaries to acquire housing under a Mourabaha contract.
Mohamed CHAOUI
