The state of progress of the complementary program of rehabilitation and development of the old medina of Essaouira (2019-2023) was at the centre of a working meeting, held this Friday at the headquarters of the prefecture, with the participation of the various parties and services concerned by this ambitious project which comes to consolidate the multidimensional dynamics that the City of Alizés knows.
The event was enhanced by the participation of the Royal Councillor and founder-president of the Essaouira-Mogador Association, André Azoulay, the Minister of National Territorial Planning, Urban Development, Housing and Urban Policy, Fatima Zohra El Mansouri, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, and the Wali of the Marrakech-Safi Region, Karim Kassi-Marrakech, Fatima Zohra El Mansouri, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, the wali of the Marrakech-Safi Region, Karim Kassi-Lahlou, the governor of the province of Essaouira, Adil El Maliki, the president of the council of the Marrakech-Safi region, Samir Goudar, the presidents of the provincial and communal councils of Essaouira, respectively Kebir Maachi and Tarik Ottmani, as well as several regional and provincial officials of the services concerned, this meeting was an opportunity to take stock of the steps taken in the framework of this large-scale construction site and to pinpoint the constraints and problems encountered in order to find the appropriate solutions.
In a speech on this occasion, Kassi-Lahlou said that this meeting is an opportunity for the Regional Monitoring Committee to review the implementation of the framework agreement on this complementary programme, signed before King Mohammed VI on 22 October 2018 in Marrakech.
This programme has made significant progress thanks to the good governance adopted through the provincial and regional monitoring committees, which hold regular meetings to review the progress of the programmed actions and find appropriate solutions to the problems that hinder the execution of certain projects.
He took the opportunity to call on the various stakeholders to intensify their efforts for the optimal implementation of this programme within the time limits and with the required quality of the planned interventions.
For his part, El Maliki welcomed the sustained work and permanent mobilization of the various partners and all the stakeholders at the central, regional and local levels to ensure the success of this Royal project, in accordance with the High Royal Directions and in response to the expectations and aspirations of the inhabitants of the City of Trade Winds.
As for the president of the Marrakech-Safi region, he reviewed some structuring projects that will be implemented in the province of Essaouira, in particular in the fields of roads, water and the construction of hill dams.
This meeting was punctuated by presentations centred in particular on the new generation of planning and urban management mechanisms for the enhancement and development of the old medina of Essaouira, the interventions of the Ministry of the National Territory Development, Urbanism, of the Ministry of National Territorial Planning, Urbanism, Housing and Urban Policy for the improvement of the living conditions of the citizens and the rehabilitation of this urban fabric as well as on the state of progress of the complementary programme of rehabilitation and development of the old medina, presented by officials of the Urban Agency, the Ministry and the development holding company Al Omrane.
At the end of this meeting, a field visit was made to various sites, in particular the Sqala of the port and the emblematic space “Bayt Dakira”, and to projects in progress in the old Medina of Essaouira, the occasion to follow more exhaustive explanations on this programme and to inquire in-situ about the state of progress of the various interventions programmed within the framework of this building site.
It should be noted that this programme, which benefits the 13,000 inhabitants of the medina, concerns a series of projects based on four major axes, namely the rehabilitation of the urban space, the restoration and enhancement of the historical heritage, the promotion of access to social services and the reinforcement of the tourist and economic attractiveness of the old medina of Essaouira.
Developed in accordance with the High Royal Instructions, this new generation programme is the result of a partnership between the Hassan II Fund for Economic and Social Development, several ministerial departments, the Marrakech-Safi Region Council, the Essaouira Communal Council and the Al-Omrane Group.
The complementary rehabilitation programme of the ancient medina of Essaouira 2019-2023 is part of the efforts deployed, under the farsighted leadership of King Mohammed VI, for the preservation and enhancement of the ancient medinas in several cities of the Kingdom such as Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Fez, Meknes, Salé and Tetouan.
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