The Oriental agency: development record since 2006 and Mohamed Mbarki’s role
This dossier follows Morocco’s Agency for the Promotion and Economic and Social Development of the Prefecture and Provinces of the Oriental Region, commonly called the Oriental agency, from its legal establishment in 2006. It explains its financing, support and coordination functions and the role of director general Mohamed Mbarki, appointed in 2005. Its scope includes infrastructure, local development, training, culture and international cooperation.
The Finance Ministry report accompanying the 2008 budget bill records 167 million dirhams allocated in 2006, including Oujda’s landfill, the airport-city corridor, neighbourhood improvements, income-generating activities and training. It describes a proposed 206-project programme worth 5.4 billion dirhams across partners, including 1.1 billion from the agency: planned activity rather than a fully delivered portfolio. The agency’s 2007 magazine reports electrification completed in 51 villages by late March out of 177 targeted, alongside agreements on water, housing, urban upgrading in Jerada and Berkane, and Mohammed Premier University.
Responsibilities matter: Oujda’s Technopole, Berkane’s Agropole, Selouane’s industrial hub, Saïdia tourism and transport projects form part of a regional transformation involving multiple institutions. This dossier does not attribute their entire investment to the agency. It also covers women and young people, income-generating activities, the launch of the Maghreb Book Fair in 2017 and the DéLIO partnership with UNDP.
These are documented milestones rather than an audited inventory of every project. The material reviewed provides neither a consistent series of spending, sustained jobs and results by province since 2006 nor continuous annual coverage of 2010–2022. Activity reports, audits, project agreements and partner assessments are needed to fill those gaps.
Last updated : 7 key moments
Oujda, September 2015: geographical archive illustration, not the 2026 book fair. Brahim FARAJI, CC BY-SA 4.0; resized. — Brahim FARAJI / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Resized; archive photograph, 20 September 2015.
Where things stand
Documentary position as of 4 November 2026: recent sources identify Mohamed Mbarki as director general. The latest cultural event documented here is the Oujda Book Fair’s closure on 1 November, with attendance reported by its organisers. DéLIO III covers 2024–2028; UNDP’s project page records the second phase ending in February 2026. The third phase’s final outcomes and employment effects are not established in the reviewed material.
Reported information
Oujda book fair closes as organisers report over 75,000 visitors
The sixth Lettres du Maghreb book fair ended in Oujda on 1 November 2026. Organisers report more than 75,000 visitors, around 15,000 more than at the previous edition.
Oujda, September 2015: geographical archive illustration, not the 2026 book fair. Brahim FARAJI, CC BY-SA 4.0; resized. — Brahim FARAJI / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Resized; archive photograph, 20 September 2015.
The press briefing listed 23 round tables and book-signing sessions involving 62 writers. The programme also included off-site discussions at the university and local prison.
The Oriental Development Agency reports visits by pupils from more than 88 Oujda schools and children from nomadic families in Figuig. Activities also catered for deaf and hard-of-hearing children and blind children. These details reflect the organisers’ account; attendance has not been independently assessed.
DéLIO III sets 30 September 2025 as its cooperative application deadline
The Oriental agency and its partners set 30 September 2025 as the proposal deadline in official cooperative call 01/DELIO/AMI/2025.
Run with UNDP and Morocco’s Office for Cooperative Development, the call targets farming, food processing, crafts and ecotourism. It offers equipment and capacity building, including management and e-commerce.
This entry documents an expired call. It does not advertise currently available assistance or establish which applicants actually received support.
Mbarki announces a book documenting around 600 projects
In coverage published by OujdaCity on 27 March 2024, Mohamed Mbarki announces a planned book covering around 600 projects implemented, cofinanced or supported by the agency.
The filmed statement was made at a regional government meeting, according to the report; publication date does not necessarily establish the speech’s exact date.
The figure combines different forms of involvement. It is neither a count of projects delivered solely by the agency nor directly comparable with the 2009 income-project tally without matching definitions and periods.
UNDP announces that it and the Oriental agency signed the DéLIO III project document in Rabat on 12 December 2023, with an announced budget of five million US dollars for 2024–2028.
The statement names Mohamed Mbarki and Edward Christow as signatories. Goals include inclusion, governance and heritage development.
The second phase supported ecotourism and agricultural products. Announced funding and goals do not establish full disbursement or delivery of every intended outcome.
Oujda hosts the first Maghreb Book Fair from 21 to 24 September 2017, according to the event contractor’s documentation and a published interview with the head of Morocco’s publishers’ union.
Mohammed VI theatre, Oujda, 20 September 2015; archive illustration, not a photograph of the 2017 fair. Brahim FARAJI / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; resized. — Brahim FARAJI / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Resized; archive photograph, 20 September 2015.
Abdelkader Retnani credits the Oriental agency with overseeing organisation alongside the regional authorities. The programme includes discussions and artistic activities.
Later agency publications place the fair within its cultural and heritage work. These sources do not independently measure its economic impact.
Mbarki reports support for over 870 income-generating projects
A MAP report published by Le Matin on 17 February 2009 quotes Mohamed Mbarki describing agency support for over 870 income-generating projects run by women and young people.
His presentation also covers university support, training and investment promotion. The agency’s June 2009 magazine explains its approach to human capital.
The figure describes projects being supported at that time. It does not independently establish business survival or sustained employment.
The 2006 law establishes the Oriental development agency
The dahir promulgating Law 12-05 establishing the Oriental development agency is dated 14 February 2006, according to its statutes.
The law creates a public institution with legal personality and financial autonomy. Morocco’s High Commission for Planning dates its establishment to May 2006.
Contemporary reporting places Mohamed Mbarki’s appointment in April 2005. The appointment and completion of the agency’s legal framework therefore represent distinct stages.
