The World Bank has recently announced its approval of a substantial $250 million program aimed at bolstering Morocco's ambitious digital transformation strategy. This financial support is set to play a pivotal role in enhancing the nation’s digital public services, fortifying its technological infrastructure, and expediting the adoption of digital technologies across various sectors. Morocco is on a path to create approximately 240,000 jobs within the digital sector, aspiring to secure its position as Africa’s leading country in e-government services by the year 2030.
This significant funding will be allocated through the Morocco Digital Transformation Program (MDTP), which is aligned with the Morocco Digital 2030 strategy recently introduced by the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform. The strategy, unveiled in September 2024, underscores the Moroccan government's commitment to modernizing its public administration and enhancing access to government services for its citizens. The World Bank has indicated that the development of this program was conducted in close partnership with Moroccan authorities to ensure it delivers measurable results by 2031, particularly focusing on creating opportunities for youth and women in the burgeoning digital economy.
The program encompasses four critical priorities: the expansion of digital public services, the strengthening of digital infrastructure, the acceleration of cloud technology adoption across government entities, and the enhancement of businesses' access to digital tools. Key initiatives include the establishment of a unified national portal for public services and the introduction of a digital wallet that will enable citizens to securely access official documents online. These advancements are expected to significantly contribute to the modernization efforts of Morocco's public administration, thereby improving the overall efficiency and accessibility of government services.
As Morocco embarks on the first phase of its Digital 2030 strategy, which is backed by a budget of 11 billion dirhams (approximately $1.18 billion) for the period from 2024 to 2026, it has set forth ambitious objectives for the next decade. The government aims to create 240,000 direct jobs in the digital domain, annually train 100,000 young individuals in vital digital skills, foster the growth of 3,000 active startups, and extend fiber-optic internet access to 5.6 million households. Furthermore, Morocco seeks to elevate its position in the United Nations E-Government Development Index, with a goal of advancing from its current ranking of 90th globally to 50th by 2030, ultimately establishing itself as the top-ranked nation in Africa for digital government services, a position it currently holds at 11th place on the continent.
As reported by ecofinagency.com.
