The Moroccan Minister in charge of Economic and General Affairs declared that all Moroccan schools will have internet connections in three years time, reported MAP news agency.
The project was estimated at MAD 1.2 billion (about USD 133 million). It is part of the E-Morocco strategy, that is designed to promote information and communication technologies in the country.
"Morocco has launched in 2005 a three-year programme to equip all Moroccan schools with multimedia rooms, and to allow six million students, who account for 20% of the Moroccan population, to manipulate the internet," Rachid Talbi Alami told MAP. He is attending the ministerial meeting on the African New Information Technology, in Dakar, Senegal, told MAP.
Alami added that Morocco's participation in the Dakar meeting was "primordial," and enriching.
The meeting, which was opened Monday by Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, is part of the preparations for the second phase of the world summit of the Information Society, scheduled next November in Tunisia.
African ministers are expected to adopt Tuesday an African position regarding Internet governance, to be submitted to the summit.
A recent study estimated potential internet subscribers in Morocco to exceed 500,000, compared to 100,000 currently.
Recent figures published by the ANRT (telecom regulator) showed that the number of ADSL subscribers in Morocco increased from 2,600 to 60,000 last year.
© Morocco Times 2005
