E-Gov Morocco Conference Details Challenges Facing Morocco’s Digital Transformation

Economie Enterprises Live held the E-Gov Morocco Conference, focused on Morocco’s digital transformation, on June 10, 2023 under the theme of “the client experience and engagement of the citizen.”

Held at the Fairmont La Marina Hotel Rabat-Sale, the conference featured three panels of experts as well as two keynote speakers with expertise in various areas that deal with digitization of the public and private sector.

Speakers included government officials, banking executives, digital specialists, and members of the World Bank.

The conversations held in the conference ranged from questions such as how to optimize the performance of E-Governing in general to the question of how to create trust in digitization.

Trust and cooperation between the private and public sectors emerged as necessary factors to ensure that the digital transformation runs smoothly, among the speakers.

For Morocco to see success in the digital transformation, a collaborative effort is vital to create what they deemed an ecosystem of digitization.

Importance digitization

“E-Gov is a historic matter for [Morocco] that has been going on for four decades,” Barid Media Chief Executive Fouad Zaidi said. “We reach many digital services for our citizens and enterprises through the digital space.”

Other participants who had been in charge of financial institutions or communications companies spoke of the private sector’s push to modernize and adapt to digitization alongside the public sector.

Other panelists and speakers spoke about where Morocco ranks globally on the topic.

According to Jesko Hentschel, the World Bank’s Country Director for the Maghreb and Malta, “Morocco is in the middle field globally.”

Morocco is ranked 101 out of 193 countries globally for its digital services, he detailed.

“There is clearly scope for Morocco to advance digital transformation in its public administration,” Hentschel said, adding that Morocco’s plan is to greatly expand digitization by 2035.

Commitment to citizens

Nabil Kettani, a Partner in Digital & Technology with Mazars Maroc, emphasized the importance of businesses and administration to create a “two-way street” between institutions and citizens.

“Most [citizens that need to be reached] do not speak French…It is very important to be able to reach them through specific communications through accessible languages that they can understand so that they can adopt digital services,” Kettani said.

The speaker was part of a panel that discussed the question of how to transform client experiences and engage citizens through e-government platforms.

Looking forward

Transparency and trust in the institutions that are implementing digitization is paramount, participants in the conference agreed.

In addition, speakers mentioned the importance of creating a digitization ecosystem. In other words, it is necessary to have collective change that informs the creation of and supports the institutions that are in the process of digitizing.

Sarah Lamrani, Secretary General of the Ministry of the Digital Transition and Administration Reform, spoke on the government’s plan for digitization in the next year.

“We are in the final stage of establishing our vision and strategy. We are going to prioritize enhancing investing, health, and education regarding digital tools,” she said.