The Strategic Orientation Board (SOB) of the Millennium Challenge Account-Morocco (MCA-Morocco) held its 8th session on Tuesday, July 28, in Rabat, under the chairmanship of the Minister of Economy, Finance and Administration Reform, Mohamed BENCHAABOUN. The Minister of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research, Saaid AMZAZI, and the Minister of Labor and Professional Integration, Mohamed AMKRAZ, attended the proceedings of the 8th session of the SOB.
This session, which coincides with the
expiration of the 3rd year of the implementation of the cooperation program
"Compact II", concluded between the Moroccan government and its
American counterpart, represented by Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), was
devoted to:
• Presenting the implementation report of the
program.
• Examining the actions and measures to be taken
to accelerate the pace of its implementation.
In this connection, Mr. Benchaaboun
underlined that the projects under Compact II have the particularity of
developing and testing innovative models in the various targeted sectors with the
aim of generalizing them. These
include:
• The new governance model of secondary education
establishments "Attahadi high school", based on the strengthening of
their administrative and financial autonomy and the promotion of a student-centered
pedagogy;
• The governance model of vocational training
establishments, effectively and closely involving professional organizations
from the private sector;
• The new model for the development of sustainable
industrial parks and the revitalization of existing industrial zones, driven by
market demand and favoring public-private partnership and environmental and
social sustainability.
• The optimized and simplified procedure for
melkization (ownership) of collective lands
located in the irrigation zones;
• The
model for promoting inclusive employment of populations in difficulty to
integrate the labor market, through results-based financing.
For his part, resident Director of the Millenium
Challenge Corporation (MCC) in Morocco, Richard Gaynor, highlighted the
importance of building the capacities of stakeholders to ensure the
sustainability and replicability of models designed and tested under the
Compact II, welcoming the government for the recent adoption of three land
laws, namely laws n° 62.17 and 64.17, as they pave the way to a better land
governance, an increased economic growth and allow a better access for women to
land. Gaynor also encouraged the government to capitalize on the funds
mobilized within the framework of the Land governance activity, amounting to
$10.5 million, to finance the implementation of priority actions as part of the
national land strategy, including measures to promote women’s access to land.
The Director General of the MCA-Morocco Agency,
Ms. Malika Laâsri, subsequently presented to the members of the Board the
implementation report of Compact II, the Agency's financial achievements report,
as well as the prospects for the implementation of Compact II by the end of
this program, scheduled for June 30, 2022.
At the end of this session, the Strategic
Orientation Board approved a series of resolutions notably a draft agreement
between the Agency and the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH),
relating to the execution of a “pilot program of employment through results-based
financing”, agreements concluded under some Compact II projects and the
Agency’s procurement program as amended and updated.