Morocco's king urges speedy reforms to boost jobs, rural development

King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Friday urged faster reforms to generate employment for young people, enhance public services, and reduce regional disparities, particularly in mountain and oasis areas.

The King made the appeal in a speech opening the new parliamentary session, a week after large youth-led demonstrations calling for better healthcare, education, and an end to corruption.

Morocco operates as a constitutional monarchy, where the King defines the main policy directions, which are then carried out by an elected government.

Although he did not directly address the protesters, King Mohammed VI emphasised that national flagship projects and social programmes should work in harmony rather than in competition.

He called for “a faster implementation pace and stronger impacts from the next generation of local development programmes,” referring to plans he had tasked the government to draft in July. Priority areas, he said, should include job creation for young people and “tangible progress in education and health,” as well as local rehabilitation initiatives.

Official figures show Morocco’s unemployment rate stands at 12.8%, while youth unemployment has reached 35.8% and 19% among graduates.

The King highlighted the need for special attention to “the most fragile areas,” particularly mountainous regions.

Although poverty in Morocco has fallen from 11.9% in 2014 to 6.8% in 2024, mountain and oasis regions continue to record above-average poverty rates, according to national statistics.

The country’s population, industrial and financial centres, and much of its critical infrastructure remain concentrated in the northwest, leaving other regions dependent on agriculture, fishing, and tourism.

Thousands gathered along the avenue leading to parliament to greet King Mohammed VI, who appeared in traditional attire, accompanied by his brother and his son, Crown Prince Moulay Hassan.

In contrast, the same square in front of parliament saw only a small demonstration on Thursday night, organised by Morocco’s Generation Z movement — a decentralised, leaderless group known as GenZ 212.

The group announced on its Discord server that it would suspend protests on Friday out of respect for the King.

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