RABAT, Morocco (AP) — The king of Morocco has ordered the government to rethink its development model, telling legislators the country’s anti-poverty programs are no longer working.

In a speech Friday to Parliament, King Mohammed VI criticized the management of social programs and said “greater firmness is needed to break with the laissez-faire and fraudulent practices that harm the interests of citizens.”

He urged tougher monitoring of such programs and said he has ordered an auditors inquiry into development projects around Morocco. He ordered the government to revise the development model to address imbalances.

The king also announced the creation of a Ministry of African Affairs, notably to oversee the kingdom’s investments around Africa.

The speech comes amid simmering discontent in Morocco’s northern Rif region over economic problems and corruption.