Morocco is banking on digital excellence as a driver of social and economic development, Ghita Mezzour, Minister for Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, said in Lausanne on Friday.
Speaking at the École Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne (EPFL) on the theme « Unleashing Morocco’s digital potential: Towards innovative and inclusive growth, » Mezzour stressed that the Kingdom is seeking to modernize public services and improve their accessibility for citizens and companies while promoting the growth of the digital economy.
This relies on support for start-ups and on building a solid digital infrastructure, the minister said.
Digital excellence means creating a framework for promoting innovation within companies, easing the emergence of start-ups, and enabling companies to access research, development, and innovation, the minister explained.
It also requires digital and technological capabilities to become a key driver of competitiveness and the development of new professions and sectors in tune with global transformations, Mezzour added.
The minister outlined a series of indicators enabling Morocco to position itself as a regional and continental leader in digital transformation. She also highlighted the role played by creative start-ups in developing innovative solutions in healthcare, education, agriculture, and electronic public services.
Mezzour spoke of the evolution of e-government infrastructures to provide high-quality, reliable digital services to citizens, businesses, and civil society, pointing out that five Moroccan centers feature in the latest e-Governance Index.
Over 300 online public services are available to citizens, in addition to 200 online services for businesses, she added.
With regard to her department’s initiatives, Mezzour highlighted efforts to develop skills, pointing out that the Jobintech project aims to train 15,000 gifted young people in the digital field in different regions of the Kingdom by 2026.
The meeting, which was moderated by Rachid Guerraoui, a Moroccan professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, was attended by Lahcen Azoulay, Morocco’s ambassador to Berne, the president of the EPFL, as well as researchers and students.
On Saturday, Ghita Mezzour received a prize awarded annually by the institution in recognition of the achievements of its laureates in research and professional careers.
