A Ministry for Tamazight: AMREC’s Request
The debate over implementing the official status of the Amazigh language is back in the spotlight. In a congratulatory letter to Fatima Zahra Mansouri following her appointment as head of government, the Moroccan Association for Research and Cultural Exchange (AMREC) asked that Tamazight be given an explicit place in the majority’s upcoming government programme. It points to the constitutional, identity-related and institutional dimensions of Tamazight, which it describes as a language, a culture and an identity, and a core component of Moroccan personality.
The association notes that the officialisation process still faces concrete obstacles and delays. Constitutional recognition dates back to 2011, and Organic Law No. 26.16, which sets out the stages for integrating the Amazigh language into education and priority areas of public life, was enacted more than seven years ago. Several provisions that were meant to be applied within the first five years remain a dead letter, the association says, calling this a failure to respect the deadlines set by the organic law. In its view, the current approach has so far failed to deliver the fundamental change that would make Tamazight a language and culture genuinely present in public life, as the Constitution and related legislation require.
AMREC therefore calls for a rethink of how this project is managed. It wants a shift from scattered sectoral projects to a coherent, cross-government approach with clear goals and deadlines, adequate funding, and mechanisms for monitoring, evaluation and accountability. Drawing on a track record dating back to 1967 in promoting Amazigh language and culture, it sets out five concrete proposals to speed up the effective implementation of officialisation. It asks that they be included in the government programme for the 2026-2031 legislative term.
The first proposal concerns an integrated public budget for the Amazigh language. The Amazigh dimension would be built into every stage of drafting, executing and evaluating the state budget. The idea draws on budgeting models that tie public spending to precise, measurable objectives, such as gender-responsive budgeting. The association sees this as a way to move beyond isolated allocations and measure the real impact of spending on the presence of Tamazight in public life. It implicitly criticises the previous government’s budgetary approach, which was limited to creating a special fund under the supervision of a single department.
According to AMREC, this proposal requires a common methodology allowing ministries, public bodies and local authorities to list their Amazigh-related projects, clearly show the financial and human resources allocated, and compare planned spending with actual results. The association also recommends unified annual indicators adapted to each sector: the number of services delivered in Tamazight, the volume of documents translated, the number of civil servants trained, and how far these projects reach citizens. Publishing an annual review of this integrated budget would strengthen transparency, help identify gaps and direct funding towards the priorities of the government programme and Organic Law No. 26.16.
The second proposal calls for studying the creation of a ministerial department or a junior ministry specialising in Amazigh affairs. It would coordinate public policies for implementation, oversee the application of Organic Law No. 26.16 and ensure that sectoral initiatives are consistent with the government’s broader direction. Its remit would include proposing overall plans, coordinating among institutional actors, supporting the integration of the language into public services, and producing regular reports on progress and obstacles. The association stresses that it should have clear powers, sufficient human and material resources and a public timetable, while respecting each ministry’s own areas of competence. Such a structure would give the government a central point of accountability and turn scattered initiatives into a genuine public policy.
In its third proposal, AMREC calls for a dedicated government programme to complete the implementation of Organic Law No. 26.16. It laments the lack of a precise government vision under successive administrations since the current Constitution was adopted. It wants the new government to draw up a clear, integrated programme, write its commitments into the government declaration and turn them into an action plan setting out responsibilities, resources, timelines and performance indicators. The programme should cover the areas provided for by law, notably education, administration, justice, the media, culture, signage, official documents and Parliament, as well as the digital space and public-facing services. The association also asks for priorities to be ranked in each area and for a break with earlier management methods that relied on contract workers and staff in legally and professionally precarious situations, which, it argues, has linked the Amazigh language to social precarity. Finally, it stresses mechanisms for sectoral coordination, a continuing training plan and a precise financial estimate, with results published regularly so that civil society and the public can track whether commitments are being met.
The fourth proposal makes 2027 the deadline for a comprehensive, independent assessment of how the official status of the Amazigh language has been implemented since 2011, and especially since the organic law came into force. AMREC wants it based on documented data and informed by administrations, experts and civil society actors. It would identify what has actually been achieved, the causes of the bottlenecks, and the remaining technical and financial needs. The assessment should lead to practical recommendations with realistic deadlines, presented to institutions and the public, and serve as the basis for an updated government plan targeting the sectors most in need.
The fifth proposal concerns strengthening the ministerial committee responsible for monitoring the implementation of the official status of Tamazight. The association asks for regular meetings, an annual work programme and a precise definition of members’ responsibilities, tied to measurable results. It proposes equipping the committee with a unified digital data-collection system, allowing sectors to report regularly on their achievements and budgets, explain any delay and take corrective action. It also suggests enlisting the High Commission for Planning to publish annual statistics on how the use of Tamazight, the country’s official language, is evolving. The association concludes that good governance requires appointing focal points in ministries, strengthening coordination with local authorities and involving civil society in the evaluation, so that implementing Tamazight becomes a national undertaking guided by transparency rather than a mere political slogan.
In closing, AMREC says it is ready to put its experience at the government’s service to see this project through. It hopes these proposals will be adopted in the upcoming government programme, to consolidate the place of Tamazight as an essential tributary of Moroccan identity.
Arabic version | French version
