Over recent months, Morocco’s National Agency for Social Support has continued to consolidate its institutional framework and expand its work under the Direct Social Assistance programme. The agency is gradually moving beyond the establishment of regulatory and technical foundations towards closer engagement with beneficiaries and stronger monitoring of the impact of social transfers.
Under Law No. 59.23, the Agency is responsible for managing, monitoring and assessing the Direct Social Assistance system, a key component of Morocco’s social protection framework.
One of the main developments at the start of 2026 was the activation of a dedicated benefit for orphaned and abandoned children living in social care institutions. The scheme provides a monthly allowance of 500 dirhams, paid into an account in the child’s name and unavailable for withdrawal until the child reaches the age of majority. The Agency has also introduced a digital platform to process applications and appeals, in coordination with the relevant government departments and institutions. The measure is intended to include a group whose specific circumstances require support adapted to their residence in care institutions.
In February, the Agency’s second Board of Directors meeting helped set its priorities for the current year. The Board approved the 2026 action plan, which focuses on strengthening the human and territorial dimensions of social assistance and establishing mechanisms to measure the programme’s impact on poverty and vulnerability. It also endorsed agreements with ministerial departments, public institutions and international partners in areas including children’s schooling, employment for people in vulnerable situations and improved governance.
The Agency also opened its first regional office in the province of El Jadida, as a pilot initiative aimed at bringing support services closer to beneficiary families and complementing the programme’s digital management. The office provides information on eligibility conditions, assists users in filing and following up on complaints, and coordinates with local authorities and decentralised public services.
The initiative is seen as a first step towards testing a model that could later be extended to other areas, taking into account the social and economic characteristics of each region. In April, the Agency joined the national portal for the right of access to information, allowing citizens to submit and track information requests online.
The Agency described the move as part of its efforts to strengthen transparency and ensure structured access to information related to its mandate, while safeguarding beneficiaries’ personal data. In June, it published its first annual report, presenting the results of its founding year.
According to the report, around 3.9 million households benefited from the Direct Social Assistance programme, including 5.5 million children and approximately 1.7 million older people. About 60 per cent of beneficiaries live in rural areas.
The Agency notes a close correlation between the geographical distribution of beneficiaries and Morocco’s multidimensional poverty map, which it views as an indication of the Unified Social Register’s effectiveness in targeting the most vulnerable groups.
These initiatives point to an approach that goes beyond the payment of benefits, towards a system based more strongly on monitoring, support and evaluation. The Agency’s stated objective is to gradually turn direct assistance into a tool for social and economic inclusion, supported by a more accurate understanding of households’ circumstances and trajectories.
