Casablanca – Fuel prices in Morocco have jumped again in recent days, rising by around MAD 2 per liter, a move that has quickly fed into public frustration and renewed questions about how prices are set.
The increase comes just weeks after tensions escalated in the Middle East, initially triggered by the US-Israeli strike on Iran on February 28. Officials have described the impact as short-term so far, but the speed of the rise at the pump has led many to question that assessment.
During a press briefing held yesterday, Bank Al-Maghrib’s (BAM) governor, Abdellatif Jouahri, defended the central bank’s position, saying its projections are not based on sudden changes but on annual averages. He pointed to an $80 per barrel benchmark, arguing that this reflects a broader view of price trends rather than short-lived spikes.
Jouahri pushed back on the idea that recent increases contradict earlier statements about a limited impact. Before the latest surge, oil prices had fallen to around $64 per barrel, he said, stressing that it would be misleading to focus only on the current jump without considering the full yearly range.
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The governor also addressed criticism over how fuel prices behave in Morocco compared to global markets. Many consumers say prices rise quickly when international costs go up, but fall more slowly when they drop. He acknowledged the concern indirectly, noting that such issues fall under the oversight of the Competition Council.
According to him, the council publishes monthly reports with detailed figures based on agreements with fuel distribution companies. He said he regularly reviews those numbers and compares them with internal data.
Still, the timing of the latest increase has added pressure. A two dirham rise in just a few days is hard to ignore. For households already dealing with rising costs, even short-term spikes can have an immediate impact.
The governor maintained that fluctuations are expected and can move in both directions. But for now, the latest jump is what people see, and what they pay.
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