Morocco discusses national plan for overseas community

2008-07-22

Moroccan parliamentarians are calling for the implementation of a government plan to provide support to Moroccan citizens living overseas.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 22/07/08

[Getty Images] In the summer months, many Moroccans living abroad return home, where discussions of government support of the overseas community have been lively.

A five-year national plan detailing support to Morocco's 3.2 million citizens living overseas has been featured prominently this summer as many Moroccans living abroad return home.

Speaking before Parliament on Friday (July 18th), Mohamed Ameur, Minister Delegate for the Moroccans community living abroad, reiterated a call for the clarification and implementation of the 2008-2012 national strategy.

Ameur said the plan currently comprises cultural, legal and economic components.

In the cultural sphere, the plan calls for the teaching of Arabic to the children of overseas Moroccans, the creation of an integrated government programme of religious guidance and sound Islamic education and the strengthening of cultural ties between new generations of Moroccans and their homeland.

Legally and administratively, the plan aims to address the difficulties Moroccans overseas face, particularly in customs, taxation and land issues.

On the economic front, the plan calls for the creation of a central national body and a number of regional local bodies to help Moroccans overseas who seek to invest in their homeland.

The idea is to provide them with guidance on partnership opportunities, assistance in securing financing, and research assistance, training and general advice. The overseas community has been an important source of income for Morocco, with more than $55 billion in remittances over the past decade, according to figures from the Foreign Exchange Office.

The significant role Moroccans overseas play in the national economy has earned them praise, and the government is keen to convince more of its citizens abroad to invest their homeland.

Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Decentralisation Fouad Ali El Himma said at a press conference last week that over the last ten years, the overseas Moroccan community has been made a top priority.

"Morocco now has a high profile and national programmes which are of interest to Moroccan nationals living abroad. This plan is proof of that," he said.

According to Moroccans back home for the summer holidays, however, much work remains to be done.

"There is a lack of Arabic teaching, for example, and also a lack of religious guidance," said Mohamed Souabi, who lives in the Netherlands.

"In economic terms, when we come back to Morocco to invest we have problems with slow bureaucracy, corruption and cronyism despite various campaigns to encourage us to invest."

Safae Bakali, who moved to Spain ten years ago, agreed.

"It will help the 10% of Moroccans who live abroad," she said. "I hope this plan will be implemented because it addresses our needs. The first thing they should do is overhaul consulates and embassies to improve communication between overseas Moroccans and the Moroccan government."

"If the government’s plan is put into effect," Souabi concluded, "this will help us overcome a number of obstacles, at long last."