(Ecofin Agency) – Morocco is intensifying its international cooperation efforts to accelerate its digital transformation. Over the last three months, the country has notably moved closer to Portugal and Estonia.
Morocco and Saudi Arabia have committed to strengthening their cooperation in the field of e-government. Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni (photo, left), Moroccan Minister of Digital Transition and Administration Reform, signed a memorandum of understanding to this effect with Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawaha (photo, right), Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Arabia Digital Government Authority. It was Monday, December 16, on the sidelines of the 19th edition of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) which is being held in the Saudi capital until December 19.
The two kingdoms agree to support research, innovation and adoption of advanced technologies in the field of e-government, while exchanging best practices and strengthening specialized capabilities.
This initiative is part of the international cooperation efforts of the Moroccan government for the implementation of its new digital transformation strategy, “Digital Morocco 2030”, officially launched in September. Over the past three months, the country has notably moved closer to Portugal and Estonia, the latter being considered one of the world champions in digital transformation.
Saudi Arabia ranks sixth in the world according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) e-government development index. The kingdom has a score of 0.9602 out of 1. For the online services and telecoms infrastructure sub-indexes, the country has respective scores of 0.9900 and 0.9841. In addition, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) ranks the country among the examples to follow in terms of cybersecurity, having validated all five pillars making up the cybersecurity index.
In terms of e-government, Morocco is in 90th place in the world with a score of 0.6841 out of 1. In terms of cybersecurity, the country is also among the examples to follow. However, it still needs to make efforts regarding measurements and capacity development.
Strengthened cooperation with Saudi Arabia could contribute to the achievement of the ambition of the Moroccan authorities to make the Shereef kingdom a digital hub to accelerate social and economic development by 2030. The government is counting on a contribution from the sector of digital to the tune of 100 billion Moroccan dirhams ($10 billion) in 2030. However, it should be remembered that the discussions are currently only at a preliminary stage. No timetable has yet been announced for the completion of the agreement.
Isaac K. Kassouwi
Published by Sèna DB de Sodji
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14/11/2024 – Digital Morocco 2030: the kingdom explores international cooperation
