Public Finance Control Committee Holds Meeting on the Evaluation Report on National Program for “Cities Without Slums”
The Public Finance Control Committee held a meeting on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2020, under the chairmanship of the Committee's chairperson Driss Sqalli Adaoui. The meeting was devoted to a presentation of the evaluation report on the national program for "Cities Without Slums," prepared by the Court of Accounts at the request of the Committee, following Article 148 of the Constitution.
The report, presented by First President of Court of Accounts Driss Jettou, is part of the annual control program set by the Public Finance Control Committee.
The presentation shed light on the goals of the control mission performed by the Court of Accounts, taking into consideration the parliamentary questions raised by the Committee to prepare the report, by assessing the different aspects of the program, its outline, planning, layout, results, means of implementation, and its impacts on the target population. The mission also analyzed the relevance of the program responses to the problem of slums and the adequacy of its instruments to the nature and origin of the phenomenon. Besides, the report assessed the outline of the program and its harmony with other programs, through comparing the comprehensiveness of its measures to the control systems and the adopted precautionary measures.
The evaluation also addressed local planning, and the related funding and implementation agreements, ensuring that they were enforced based on their efficiency and effectiveness while highlighting the major constraints that might hinder their proper implementation. The evaluation tackled the program's governance, and the control and tracking system related to it, analyzed the financial instruments and funding plans adopted, and questioned their sustainability. Also, the evaluation analyzed the status of the properties devoted to the program.
The presentation mentioned that the Program "Cities without Slums" was launched in 2004 as part of a State's policy in housing, following the high Royal directives and several Government declarations, and in alignment with the sustainable development goals Morocco has engaged in. The program aimed at putting an end to slums in all Moroccan cities by 2010 (or, at least, making it a marginal phenomenon). It also aimed at assisting 217,000 families in 70 cities and urban areas. The program was in force until late 2018 and covered 472,700 families in 85 cities and urban areas.
As for the importance and impacts of the program, the most important remarks of the Court of Accounts concluded that slums are a deep-rooted phenomenon that is hard to eradicate and that improving the living conditions of low-income families is an uncomprehensive approach that focuses mainly on housing. The report also noted the problems and difficulties that marked self-building in rehousing areas. Additionally, the Court noted the failure to achieve the restructuring processes' objectives and the existence of gaps in managing the post-relocation phase in the rehousing operations.
Concerning the planning, governance, follow-up, and evaluation, the Court of Accounts noted the inaccuracy of planning, as it does not determine the responsibilities of actors. The Court also recorded the inefficiency of the governance bodies and the existence of imbalances at the levels of following up and evaluating the program.
Regarding the effectiveness of the program, the Court highlighted that the funding plan that reached its limits was not effective. Also, it noted that the criteria for funding the operations were not well controlled.
Additionally, the Court of Accounts also considered that the management of properties was insufficient compared to the heavy demand. It also noted the lack of land surveys, the complexity of the procedures for acquiring land lots, and the unbalanced and low economically profitable use of lands.
In conclusion, the Court of Accounts noted that the objectives of the program have undergone repetitive changes, and that deadlines were not met, and that cities were declared "slum-free" without meeting all the requirements for such qualification.
In view of the results of the mission to control the program for cities without slums, the Court of Accounts recommended that the Government should:
- Address some gaps that hinder proper control of public programs, especially those related to fighting substandard housing like "cities without slums,"
- Adopt an inclusive approach of human development that surpasses the "housing" objective to include economic and social aspects of the new housing sites,
- Develop the offers by suggesting more varied solutions for housing products and financial support,
- Act more rigorously in fighting the phenomenon of the proliferation of substandard housing.