Speaking on this occasion, the Wali of the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra region and Governor of the Rabat Prefecture, Mohamed Yacoubi, indicated that the preparations for these 2nd Assises constitute an opportunity to take stock of the implementation of this project and to reflect on the mechanisms to be deployed and the steps to be taken to achieve a purely Moroccan model of advanced regionalisation.
Mr. Yacoubi recalled, in this regard, the content of the Royal Message addressed to the participants in the first National Assises of advanced regionalisation, which established a precise assessment of this structuring project and outlined the broad guidelines for the next stage of the effective implementation process, while stressing the importance of strengthening the role of the regions and promoting their efficiency in exercising their powers in a way that satisfies the needs of the populations.
These efforts aim to unite all energies and resources that will allow winning the bet of regional development and contributing to the reduction of disparities and the improvement of the attractiveness and competitiveness of the territorial space in order to better respond to the aspirations of citizens, he explained, adding that it is also about ensuring openness to modern financial governance mechanisms and promoting participatory democracy in all its forms and making it a lever for integrated and sustainable economic and social development.
In this regard, he noted that advanced regionalisation, which is an inevitable strategic choice for Morocco, does not only constitute a model of management and organisation, but also a prelude to the realisation of development and the strengthening of local democracy, thus allowing citizens to contribute to the preparation and implementation of public policies.
For his part, the President of the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra Regional Council, Rachid El Abdi, stressed that the Regions have become an essential and central actor in various strategies aimed at giving them leadership in the realisation of territorial public policies and the deepening of delegated and participatory democracy, noting that this role is enshrined by the Constitution and the legal and regulatory arsenal, in addition to the adoption of an integrated and sustainable development approach coupled with the rules of good territorial governance.
Rather than a short or medium-term project, advanced regionalisation, observed Mr. El Abdi, constitutes a long-term project, as evidenced by the experiences of other countries such as Spain and France.
According to him, Rabat-Sale-Kenitra is the second region at the national level in terms of contribution to GDP, due to its important place in the Moroccan economic fabric. Indeed, the region is full of various assets to achieve development in multiple fields and improve the living conditions of the population through numerous projects and programmes, he said.
He also estimated that the achievements accomplished so far are only the beginning of a long process that requires concerted efforts and continuous cooperation between all stakeholders to achieve the objectives of advanced regionalisation in its global dimensions.
In a presentation detailing the objectives of this meeting, the Director General of Services at the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra Regional Council, Ahmed El Kial, highlighted the main axes to be debated during this regional meeting, notably the strengthening of the attractiveness of territorial spaces, productive investment as a lever for economic competitiveness, the financing of regional development programmes and water governance in light of current challenges, the development of a sustainable transport and mobility system, as well as digital transformation at the territorial level as a lever for accelerating expanded regionalisation.
The participants will propose recommendations to be included in a summary report that will be submitted to a scientific committee at the end of the meeting, he said, calling on territorial actors to take into account the criteria of realism, feasibility, clarity, and precision in the matter.
Notably, the governors of the prefectures and provinces, the presidents of the communal councils, the presidents of the prefecture and provincial councils, the presidents of the professional chambers, and the representatives of external services as well as the members of the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra Regional Council took part in this regional meeting.
