Morocco’s King Mohammed VI calls for new strategies on water, energy, AI

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has called for a new generation of major strategies in water, energy, food security, industrial development, the digital economy and artificial intelligence (AI), as he urged the government and private sector to accelerate the country’s economic transformation.

The king made the call in a speech to parliament on Friday at the opening of the first session of the first legislative year of the 12th Legislature, accompanied by Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, Prince Moulay Rachid and Prince Moulay Ahmed.

He said the new legislative and governmental term should mark a turning point in advancing Morocco’s ambition to become a rising and dependable economic power while balancing economic growth with greater social and territorial equity.

The monarch also called for faster implementation of planned infrastructure projects, stronger strategic reserves and measures to secure supplies of essential commodities.

He urged the private sector to play a more active role in national development by increasing investment, creating jobs, boosting exports and promoting innovation.

Highlighting the importance of young people, King Mohammed VI said youth issues should remain at the forefront of public policies. He called for a comprehensive approach to ensure equal opportunities through education, skills development and economic integration.

Such measures, he said, would strengthen young people’s confidence in national institutions and their prospects for social advancement, while helping them build a future based on freedom, dignity and stability.

The king said the main challenge in the coming period would be to address problems at the local level through practical solutions tailored to the needs of individual regions.

He stressed the need to improve public services, promote productive investment and advance regionalisation and administrative deconcentration, which involves transferring powers and resources from the central government to regional and local authorities.

He described further delays in implementing the administrative deconcentration charter as unacceptable and called for the transfer of necessary responsibilities, human resources and financial resources to provinces and regions.

He also urged the government to clarify the responsibilities of regional institutions and provide them with adequate resources, alongside establishing coordination and contracting mechanisms to help regions make decisions and implement projects.

On migration, the king said Morocco’s existing cooperation model had become outdated, pointing to recurring crises despite the country’s balanced approach to managing migration.

He referred particularly to cooperation with neighbouring Spain, saying outdated legal provisions and what he described as unrealistic judicial rulings were obstructing the repatriation of minors and people making what he called false asylum claims, while benefiting criminal networks.

He said Morocco’s partnership with Spain was a sovereign choice and a voluntary commitment that would not be subject to pressure, threats or blackmail.

Morocco, he added, would present its partners with a document outlining a practical strategic vision for a new approach to migration cooperation, shared development, economic competitiveness and regional stability.

Concluding his address, King Mohammed VI reminded parliamentarians that their mandate represented both a political commitment and a moral contract with citizens, urging them to fulfil their responsibilities to the country.