Editorial – Multiplier

Morocco has almost won the battle to open up rural areas. Or almost so. 81% access to rural roads by 2022, compared to 54% in 2005. The effort is real and significant. But it rests on an illusion: the notion that a road is enough. Yet a road is not a service; it is a prerequisite. And without reliable transportation options, it leads nowhere.
This is the conclusion of the latest assessment by the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council, which makes an unambiguous observation: rural transportation is one of the blind spots of regional public policy. Roads in disrepair, impassable dirt tracks, non-existent or unreliable service. The result: only 11% of rural residents use public transportation to get to work. The others improvise, make do, and just put up with it.
The Government has invested in infrastructure without organizing the service. Rural transportation remains fragmented, unprofitable, and therefore unattractive to formal operators. Since nature abhors a vacuum, the informal sector naturally thrives and has become the backbone of rural mobility. It provides a service, yes. But at the cost of insecurity, irregularity, and a lack of standards. A sort of social safety net, not public policy.
Meanwhile, the economic and social consequences mount: difficulty accessing employment, school dropout rates, delays in the provision of healthcare, and high logistics costs for producers. Ultimately, mobility becomes a multiplier of inequality.
Just like water or electricity, rural transportation must be viewed as an essential public service. This means establishing a hybrid system tailored to local conditions—one that enables citizens to get around, work, receive medical care, attend school regularly… In short, to enjoy their most basic rights.