
Morocco's budget deficit reached 27 billion dirhams by the end of May 2026, an increase from 22 billion dirhams during the same period in 2025, according to data from the General Treasury of the Kingdom TGR. This rise is primarily due to a decrease in the ordinary balance, which fell from 11.6 billion dirhams in May 2025 to 2 billion dirhams in May 2026. Special Treasury accounts and autonomously managed State Services also saw an increase, from 13 billion dirhams to 22 billion dirhams over the same period. Ordinary revenues grew by 6.6% year-on-year, totaling 182.6 billion dirhams, up from 171 billion dirhams in May 2025. This growth was driven by a 9.2% increase in tax revenues, reaching 164 billion dirhams. However, non-fiscal revenues declined by 13%, from 20.5 billion dirhams to 17.8 billion dirhams, mainly due to a drop in "other revenues," which include grants, debt expenditure mitigation revenues, and various ministerial revenues. Conversely, ordinary expenditures rose by 13% to 180 billion dirhams. This increase was largely due to a 12.2% rise in goods and services spending, reaching 147 billion dirhams, and a 4% increase in debt interest payments, totaling 17.5 billion dirhams. Investment expenditures also increased by 9.3%, reaching 53 billion dirhams by May 2026, compared to 48 billion dirhams a year prior. The financing need for the period stood at 37 billion dirhams, down from 44.6 billion dirhams in May 2025. To cover this, the government primarily relied on do
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SimSim-Participation citoyenne, a civil society organization, is advocating for responsible artificial intelligence governance in Morocco and greater involvement of civil society in digital public policy development. A national survey conducted by the association across various regions of Morocco highlights the need for an integrated legal and institutional framework to guide AI development, ensuring safe, responsible, and rights-compliant usage. The organization emphasizes that regulation is crucial for building trust, organizing AI applications, clarifying responsibilities, and preventing adverse effects from rapid, unregulated adoption. The report, titled "Artificial Intelligence and Civil Society in Morocco: Towards Responsible Governance and a Regulatory Framework that Takes into Account the Needs of Civil Actors," underscores that AI offers significant opportunities for innovation and service improvement but also presents legal and ethical challenges requiring structured public responses. SimSim-Participation citoyenne argues that civil society should not merely be recipients of digital policies but actively participate in their creation, especially concerning rights, access to information, citizen participation, and institutional trust. The association's advocacy is based on a national survey that identified civil society organizations' perceptions of AI, its opportunities, and the legal, ethical, and organizational challenges they anticipate. The survey also revealed

The 4th edition of the Women Summit, held in Morocco, emphasized the critical role of female leadership in Africa's inclusive and sustainable growth, aligning with Morocco's Atlantic Initiative. Hanane A茂t A茂ssa, President of Startup Grow Foundation, highlighted that no development dynamic succeeds without the contribution of women. The event, attended by political, diplomatic, and economic figures from Morocco and other African capitals, focused on the theme "Atlantic Initiative: Women Driving Africa's Inclusive & Sustainable Growth." The Atlantic Initiative aims to provide Sahel countries with access to the ocean and foster a more connected Africa. Morocco was presented as a model, citing reforms in its Family Code, increased political representation, and economic empowerment, all under Royal Impulsion. Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Commerce, stressed the need to strengthen women's economic presence, noting that recent baccalaureate results showed girls outperforming boys, indicating a promising future for female leadership in Morocco. The summit also addressed financial inclusion for women entrepreneurs. Sa茂d Jabrani, Director General of Tamwilcom, revealed a 25-point gap in banking access between men and women, with only 15% of female entrepreneurs securing bank loans. While microfinance serves nearly 85% of women beneficiaries, this often limits them to micro-enterprises. Tamwilcom's initiatives include guaranteeing 80% of loans for women, co-financing at 2% ove
Must ReadThe death toll from the recent earthquakes in Venezuela has reached 235, with Health Minister Carlos Alvarado confirming that these patients either arrived without vital signs or died upon arrival at health facilities. Among the deceased are two Spaniards, one Portuguese, two Brazilians, one Italian-Venezuelan, and two Chinese nationals. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported 80 Spaniards were still unaccounted for as of Friday morning. The quakes also resulted in at least 4,300 injuries nationwide. The hardest-hit area is La Guaira, north of the capital Caracas, which includes the international airport of Maiquetia, now closed due to damage, and the coastal city of Catia la Mar, where several buildings collapsed. Interim President Delcy Rodriguez declared a state of emergency following the double tremors of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, which occurred on Wednesday at 18:04 22:04 GMT. According to the United States Geological Survey USGS, the 7.5 magnitude earthquake is the strongest to hit Venezuela, a country of nearly 30 million inhabitants, since 1900. The first tremor occurred at a depth of 21.9 km, approximately 200 km west of Caracas, followed by a second at 10 km depth, recorded 39 seconds later 45 km away, and then about twenty aftershocks.