| 28 Jul 2010 |
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Morocco pushes ahead with 'Maroc Numeric 2013'
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A strategy for improving Rabat's e-government includes setting up 89 new online services by 2013, with 15 of them going live by 2011.
Morocco is pressing forward with the e-government strategy that focuses on greater integration and wider use of information technology in public services.
The "Maroc Numeric 2013" strategy, launched at the behest of Trade and Industry Minister Ahmed Reda Chami, includes a roadmap for setting up 89 new online services by 2013, with 15 of them going live by 2011.
"The public sector will gain hugely in terms of efficiency and effectiveness with the introduction of [e-government] services, with simpler automated processing of information," said Chami advisor Mohamed Benmahjoub.
The government and various banking institutions last October agreed to allocate 5.2 billion dirhams for the "Maroc Numeric 2013" initiative. The plan will reportedly add 27 billion dirhams to the GDP and create 26,000 new jobs.
In addition to bridging the gap between the administration and citizen users by means of e-government, the strategy also includes incentives for greater use of information technology by small- and medium enterprises and the development of the local IT sector.
The strategy involves setting up an inter-ministerial e-government committee chaired by Chami. "This committee's job will be to formulate targets and evaluate how well they have been achieved as the [e-government] programme is introduced," said Benmahjoub.
Along with the organisational side and the mobilisation of funding for these projects, the strategy also involves establishing a legal framework for "digital confidence".
"The...strategy is being supported by the introduction of a suitable legal framework, particularly when it comes to protecting individuals with respect to the processing of personal data", said Mehdi Laaroussi, a legal advisor to Chami.
Civil society has also shown an interest in e-government. The anti-corruption group Transparency Maroc is preparing an audit of such sites and access to information.
"This project is part of our association's campaign for the right to access information. This right is a right to knowledge, one of the fundamentals of transparency and good governance, including the introduction of [e-government] services to help private individuals and businesses," said Rachid Filali Meknassi, Transparency Maroc's general secretary.
Central to the "Maroc Numeric 2013" strategy are efforts to ensure that one in three Moroccan families, rather than the present one in 10, will have a high-speed Internet connection by 2013.
The strategy also prioritises giving young people Internet access. To this end, some 400 computer centres will be built in low-income districts and remote areas.
Morocco is ranked 126th out of 192 countries in the latest United Nations world e-government rankings, the 2010 UN Global E-Government Readiness Survey. The rankings are based on a number of criteria, chiefly involving the use made of the Internet, telecommunications structures, and human resources.
By Rachid Jankari
© Magharebia.com 2010
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