"In the absence of a an agreement on the Sahara issue, a wide regionalization will be carried out within a Moroccan-Moroccan framework with the priority being given to the Southern region," the Minister said.
in an interview with French-speaking weekly, Jeune Afrique, Benmoussa recalled that "Morocco had proposed a more advanced regionalization," noting that "this initiative should be achieved within a final political solution to the Sahara issue in respect for the Kingdom’s unity and territorial integrity."
"These two approaches can be complementary if the political process under the auspices of the United Nations moves forward," he said in this interview published on the occasion of the The 5th Pan-African of United Cities and Local Government, slated December 19-20 in Marrakech.
According to the Minister, this extreme kind of regionalization is reserved for the Southern provinces whose historical context is particular.
"Upon its recuperation, the Sahara region was largely under-equipped. Nowadays, it has reached a level of development that is similar to the rest of the country and even more superior in terms of Human Development Indices."
The 5th Pan-African of United Cities and Local Government is organized every three years alternately in the different regions of Africa.
This event constitutes a highlight of the impetus given to the decentralization process in Africa, and to the reflection on the place and role of local governments in the governance and development of African countries.