Morocco meets U.S. financial transparency standards, report finds

Yesterday 11:43

By: Azzat Manal

Morocco meets U.S. financial transparency standards, report finds

Morocco has been included among the governments that met the minimum financial transparency standards set by the U.S. Department of State, according to the 2026 Fiscal Transparency Report. The assessment highlights differences across North Africa, with Algeria and Egypt falling short of the required standards during the review period.

The report evaluates how governments make information on public finances available to citizens and oversight bodies. Its assessment covers areas such as national budgets, public debt, government spending, public procurement, accounting practices and the management of natural resources.

The 2026 edition reviewed 139 governments and the Palestinian Authority, covering the period from January 1 to December 31, 2025. According to the report, 73 governments met the minimum requirements for fiscal transparency, while 67 did not. Only 14 governments in the latter group demonstrated significant progress during the assessment period.

Rather than ranking countries numerically, the report determines whether governments satisfy a series of transparency requirements concerning the publication and reliability of financial information, budget oversight, debt management, public procurement and natural-resource revenues.

Morocco was listed among the governments that satisfied all of the basic requirements. The country was assessed alongside several other governments, including Portugal, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Tunisia, South Africa, Türkiye and India.

The assessment indicates that Morocco made key budget documents available to the public and provided sufficiently complete information on government revenues and expenditures. It also recognized the availability of information concerning public debt and mechanisms for reviewing government accounts and monitoring budget implementation.

Transparency requirements also cover public procurement, including information on how government contracts are managed, as well as data related to natural-resource revenues. These areas are considered important for determining whether public resources are being managed in a sufficiently transparent manner.

Algeria, by contrast, remained below the minimum threshold. The report identified several shortcomings, including weaknesses in the publication of year-end financial information, insufficient details concerning certain state-owned entities and gaps related to international accounting standards. It also found no significant progress during the period under review.

Egypt faced a broader range of deficiencies. These included concerns over the completeness of budget documents, information on government accounts outside the central budget framework and data concerning the debts of state-owned enterprises.

The report also raised questions regarding oversight of certain areas of public expenditure, including military spending. Egypt, like Algeria, was therefore classified among the governments that did not meet the minimum fiscal transparency requirements.

Morocco's inclusion in the compliant group underlines the importance of making core financial information accessible to citizens and oversight institutions. Public access to budget data, debt information, government expenditure and procurement records can strengthen accountability and improve understanding of how public resources are managed.

At the same time, the contrasting assessments of Morocco, Algeria and Egypt highlight the continuing challenges facing governments seeking to improve fiscal disclosure. Greater access to reliable financial information and stronger oversight mechanisms remain central to improving public-sector accountability.