The Fès-Meknès Regional Economic Intelligence Committee is about to finalise the roadmap for the revival of the regional economy. A meeting will be scheduled in the coming days to present the main lines of this document.
Much awaited by the economic operators of the Fès-Meknès region, the Regional Economic Watch Committee (CVER) is getting ready to unveil the final version of the roadmap for economic recovery. It is a compilation of recommendations resulting from 19 workshops, including 5 sectoral, 5 transversal and 9 provincial, which led to 800 recommendations in the short, medium and long term. The proposed measures are classified according to a matrix taking into account the sectors of activity, scope, timeframe and type. Launched last June, the Fès-Meknès CVER’s mission is to set up efficient mechanisms to mitigate the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and to take the necessary accompanying measures allowing the revival of economic sectors at local, provincial and regional levels. It must also monitor the implementation of the decisions of the national CVE, analyse the economic and social situation of the region and draw up recommendations in coordination with local actors. The different recommendations collected by the Committee will be classified taking into account the objectives linked to the Regional Development Plan (RDP), namely the reduction of social deficits and territorial disparities, the improvement of economic attractiveness, the support to productive sectors and the promotion of employment. The new roadmap will also aim to combat informality, improve mobility and strengthen territorial resilience. It should be recalled that, as part of the diagnostic phase, the Fès-Meknès IRC had conducted a series of interviews with institutional partners and surveys of economic operators in order to measure the impact of the crisis at regional level. A report had subsequently been published, which served as a basis for the work of the regional CVE.
Among the sectors most impacted by the crisis in the region, let us mention tourism which recorded a loss of 75% of its turnover (turnover), at 274.7 MDH instead of the billion DH which was forecast for 2020. For the next financial year, the operators anticipate a drop in turnover of about 49%. It should be noted that the crisis in the sector has also caused the halt of more than 50 projects for an investment of 335 MDH, threatening 9,200 direct jobs and 27,600 indirect jobs in the prefecture of Fez. In Meknes, the crisis has affected 3,000 direct jobs and 6,000 indirect jobs. It should be stressed that the crisis of Covid-19 has impacted the majority of the building and public works sectors. In the Fès-Meknès Region, 80% of the road building sites have recorded yields of less than 50%.
The construction sector experienced a 70% decline in production-distribution operations of construction materials, accompanied by a contraction in real estate transactions and sales volumes of around 70%. Activity recorded a 75% drop in turnover for the building sector and a 60% drop for the public works sector. The shutdown rate for construction companies reached 93%, while it was 72% for manufacturing companies (concrete, mortar) and 50% for engineering companies.
Be the first to comment