Morocco earthquake reconstruction to test government’s speed of execution

Al-Monitor Pro members

Francisco Serrano

Journalist and analyst specialized in North Africa

Oct. 18, 2023

On the evening of Sep. 8, an earthquake measuring over 6.8 points on the Richter scale hit the province of Al Haouz near Marrakech. With reconstruction efforts projected to cost as much as 8% of the kingdom’s GDP, Morocco has announced an earthquake recovery plan budgeted at $11.7 billion to be spent over five years. However, it will be the speed and depth of reconstruction that will have an impact on the state of the economy and the budget over the coming years. Maintaining visitor numbers in the critical tourism hub of Marrakesh will help to maintain the broader economic impact of the quake to a minimum. But rebuilding housing and transport infrastructure will determine how the region moves forward.