Government Council Approves Draft Decree for Population, Housing Census in Morocco

The Government Council passed Draft Decree 2.23.1065 on Thursday regarding the planning and execution of the population and housing census in the Kingdom, along with the criteria for participation in this initiative. Presented by Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit, this draft decree constitutes a part of the ongoing regulatory measures that establish the framework for conducting the census in Morocco, set for September 2024, said Government Spokesperson Mustapha Baitas. It aims to update the mechanisms governing the preparation, execution, and participation criteria for this national census, he further specified during a press briefing following the Council meeting. Baitas stressed that the objective of this initiative is to outline the essential operations and key stages needed to organize and carry out this significant national endeavor. It delineates the preparatory phase, organization of the census across various domains, training, information dissemination, communication strategies, and the mobilization of financial, human, and logistical resources. Moreover, Baitas highlighted that the project details the process of mapping and training participants, encompassing both in-person and remote training sessions. It includes the utilization of electronic tablets for collecting household data, as well as the processing and publication of census data in compliance with national and international standards. He further pointed out that the text specifies the prerequisites for individuals engaging in the census, particularly in the context of digitalization embedded across all phases of the census process. This census, he emphasized, adopts a novel method for selecting participant categories (supervisors, controllers, and researchers) through an electronic platform designed for their registration.