HIBAPRESS – Rabat
Fouzi Lekjaa, the Minister Delegate in charge of the Budget, confirmed during his intervention today before the Finance and Economic Development Committee in the House of Representatives that a modification had been introduced to the name of the account monitored for specific matters, formerly known as the "Rural and Mountainous Areas Development Fund", to become its new name "Integrated Territorial Development Fund", within the provisions of the draft finance law for the year 2026.
Lekjaa explained that this change is not limited to the formal aspect only, but rather reflects a new strategic direction that aims to expand the scope of the fund's interventions to include various territorial areas, not just the rural and mountainous areas.
Lekjaa highlighted that the aim of this step is to achieve greater integration between public territorial policies, and to enhance spatial justice through integrated projects that respond to the priorities of local and regional development.
The Minister added that the restructuring of the fund comes within the framework of a comprehensive approach that aims to modernize the financing tools directed towards development, and to ensure efficiency in the disbursement of public financial resources, in line with the goals of the new development model.
Lekjaa also stressed that the fund will continue to support projects aimed at improving infrastructure and basic services in the least-advantaged areas, while adopting new mechanisms for impact assessment and enhancing transparency in management.
