Lekjaa’s New Role Sparks Debate Over MAD 210 Billion Territorial Development Program

Casablanca – Minister Delegate for the Budget Fouzi Lekjaa was appointed as the official responsible for collecting revenues and spending from Morocco’s Integrated Territorial Development Fund under a decree dated August 3.

The appointment has drawn attention online because of reports linking Lekjaa to a MAD 210 billion ($22.67 billion) development envelope.

Some reports have said the appointment gives Lekjaa responsibility for the MAD 210 billion. The figure, however, refers to the broader eight-year territorial development program, rather than an amount directly placed at the minister’s disposal.

Other reports have focused on the more limited financial operations covered by the latest decisions published in the Official Gazette.

According to reports citing sources familiar with the matter, the temporary operation concerns the payment of outstanding amounts owed to companies that carried out work for the state, with the amounts involved estimated at around MAD 800 million ($86.37 million).

The same sources said that regional governors would be responsible for spending on territorial development projects once they move into implementation at the local and regional level.

The 2026 Finance Law provides a separate figure for the fund’s initial financial programming. It includes a MAD 5 billion ($539.75 million) expenditure ceiling and around MAD 15 billion ($1.62 billion) in advance commitment authorizations, bringing the projected 2026 envelope to MAD 20 billion ($2.16 billion).

The August 13 edition of the Official Gazette, No. 7534, contains several decisions signed by Lekjaa that delegate spending powers linked to the Integrated Territorial Development Fund.

The decisions appoint assistant spending authorizers and their deputies to handle delegated appropriations, including expenditures committed up to the end of December 2025.

They also allow the designated officials to issue payment statements and collection orders linked to contracts, including late-payment penalties, guarantees and overpayments.

The decisions are valid until December 31 and were signed by Lekjaa in his capacity as minister in charge of the Budget.

The different reports come as Morocco prepares to roll out its new generation of integrated territorial development programs across the country over several years.