A symbolic city with a rich history, Jerada has benefited, over the last seven years, from several projects of great social scope as part of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), which have allowed it to catch up on its delay compared to other regions of the Oriental, following the closure of the coal mines. These projects, inaugurated during the multiple visits made by H.M. King Mohammed VI, have had a great impact on the social and economic conditions of the inhabitants, on employment, economic attractiveness, and investment in the region.

The multipurpose social centre of Ain Bni Mathar, inaugurated on Saturday by the Sovereign, is part of a long list of INDH achievements in the province of Jerada, with the objective of ensuring the training and qualification of women and young girls in trades that ensure them a certain economic and social independence as well as the promotion of income-generating activities. Its realisation confirms the particular interest that the Sovereign takes in the qualification of the human element, the cornerstone of any development project.

During the first phase of the INDH (2005-2010), the province of Jerada benefited from more than 300 socio-economic projects, focusing on the fight against precariousness and marginalisation, the cross-cutting programme, and the programme to fight poverty in rural areas. The INDH programmes implemented in the province are structured around six main axes: the promotion of income-generating and employment activities, the improvement of access to basic services, socio-cultural and sports activities, the consolidation of good governance in local management, the construction and equipment of reception centres, and the upgrading of these centres. These programmes essentially aim to support disadvantaged populations, in particular women and young people, with a view to promoting their access to basic services and equipment and fostering their socio-economic integration, while giving priority to social categories in precarious situations.

The project inaugurated on Saturday by H.M. the King is part of the implementation of the second phase 2011-2015 of the INDH, which will mobilise investments of around 17 billion dirhams (MMDH).

The objectives of this second phase focus on extending the scope of the INDH to 701 rural communes and 530 disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods falling under cities and urban centres with a population exceeding 20,000 inhabitants, and the launch of a territorial upgrading programme for the benefit of 22 isolated provinces. These investments aim to improve the living conditions of populations in certain mountainous or isolated areas, and to reduce disparities in access to basic infrastructure and local equipment and services (rural tracks, health, education, electrification, drinking water).

The approach adopted in the development and implementation of INDH projects has contributed to the consecration of territorial governance and the emergence of a new dynamic in the management of local affairs based on the participation and involvement of citizens and civil society.

The particular interest granted by H.M. the King to Jerada is commensurate with its role as a high place of contemporary Moroccan history and its distinguished contribution to the defence of the nation's sacred values. Due to their remarkable geographical position, some centres of this province have also been a hub, notably between the Maghreb and Europe, and a crossroads for commercial caravans.

The projects launched in the province on the occasion of the multiple royal visits contribute to giving the province a new lease of life and allowing it to find a new vocation following the closure of the coal mines, which were for several decades the main resource and economic activity of Jerada. Indeed, the exploitation of mineral resources long overshadowed the development of other local potentials, namely: esparto grass fields, the mountainous site, agriculture, and the pastoral vocation. The integrated combined-cycle thermo-solar power plant of Ain Beni Mathar, inaugurated in 2010 by H.M. the King, constitutes the largest achievement of its kind at the African level, with a production of 472 megawatts (MW), including 20 MW from the solar component. The power plant allows Morocco, along with that of Ouarzazate, to position itself on the international scene as a major producer of solar energy.