By Sumaila Ogbaje

President, Association of Moroccan Regions (ARM), Mbarka Bouaida, says the current stage of advanced regionalisation must focus on operationalisation to meet the challenge of territorial development.

Bouaida said this at the 2nd National Conference on Advanced Regionalisation, held under the High Patronage of King Mohammed VI, with the theme: “Advanced Regionalisation: Between Today’s and Tomorrow’s Challenges” in Tangiers.

Bouaida urged the region to fully assume its missions, manage its own affairs and exercise its prerogatives in an optimal manner.

According to her, the region is considered a vital and important space for creating material wealth and achieving integrated development.

She described the outcomes of the New Development Model which establishes administrative devolution and bolstering advanced regionalisation project, as essential pillars capable of meeting expectations and tackling various challenges.

Bouaida said that advanced regionalisation was the culmination of a gradual process and the enshrining of local democracy as a crucial strategy for developing the institutional structure and promoting territorial development.

According to her, the three territorial levels (communes, provinces and regions) have elevated the region to the status of a territorial space conducive to the convergence of public policies.

She called for the challenge of training human resources and local elites to be taken up, so as to strengthen the attractiveness of investments and deal with crises.

She said it would also address challenges including those linked to water stress, transport, sustainable mobility and the digital transition.

Bouaida stressed the need to adopt a participatory approach involving various territorial stakeholders, academics and civil society.

She said this would develop scenarios likely to improve and optimise this project to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

edited by Sadiya Hamza