Oxford Business Group publishes a new report echoing the Covid-19 pandemic, entirely devoted to digital transformation in Morocco.
As part of the series of Covid-19 Response Reports (CRR), which aim to analyze the different facets of the economy of emerging countries in the light of the challenges posed by the current health crisis, this new study looks back on the impact of technology on Moroccan society and economy, showing how the use of these technologies has enabled the kingdom to weather the crisis as well as possible and offering avenues for future development thanks to an acceleration of the digital transformation . The business intelligence firm has benefited from the support of its partner the Digital Development Agency (ADD), as well as other companies in the sector.
Presented in a clear and accessible format, combining essential data and analyzes, and illustrated by numerous infographics, the report also includes an interview with the CEO of the Digital Development Agency (ADD) Mohammed Drissi Melyani, who reviews the impact of the pandemic on digital administration in Morocco, on the effects of digital technology on human development and social inclusion and on cybersecurity. The report also includes case studies from the following companies: SAP, Wilo, CBI, Genious, Ideo Factory, Webhelp, and Pandora Box.
The Covid-19 crisis has demonstrated the need for increased digitization, but Morocco did not wait until 2020 to begin its digital transformation. Started about ten years ago, the latter has been accelerated through major government initiatives, Horizon 2020, launched in 2017, then Horizon 2025, who have set themselves ambitious objectives in terms of e-government and training young people in new technologies. Efforts that had already borne fruit at the start of 2020, when Morocco occupied fourth place in the Digital Risers among the countries of the MENA region in the ranking of the European Center for Digital Competitiveness.
If Morocco already benefited from relatively high internet and mobile penetration rates, the Covid-19 pandemic has spurred technological innovation in many sectors, whether in finance, agriculture, or in the field of education. Containment has boosted e-commerce and the habit of contactless payment now seems to be well established in the population. Mobile payments thus increased by 31.3% in the first half of 2020, compared to the same period the previous year.
In response to the pandemic, the public and private sectors have implemented a series of measures that have helped maintain productivity while respecting social distancing. We can cite in particular the solution for digitizing agricultural operations Attaisir or the solutions deployed in the field of distance education, with the launch, in March, of the Telmid platform, or the digitization project carried out in the framework of road infrastructure, and which concerns both calls for tenders and payment systems. The tourism, real estate and cultural sectors have also ridden the digital wave in 2020, thus preparing the revival. At the peak of the epidemic, 7 out of 10 Moroccan employees were working telework, a development that could also turn into an opportunity for job creation.
Speaking on the subject, ADD CEO Mohammed Drissi Melyani said: “The acceleration of digital transformation is an effective lever for social inclusion and human development. Digital technologies help solve critical issues that hamper social development and equitable access to services and opportunities. »Resolving the digital divide will help reduce inequalities in the country, especially between cities and the countryside, and achieve the objective of more inclusive growth that Morocco has set itself.
Bernardo Bruzzone, Editorial Africa Director of OBG, adds that: “the momentum initiated by Morocco in recent years in terms of digital transformation, driven by both public authorities and the private sector, accelerated in 2020 under the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic. It should continue in 2021, benefiting from a change in mentalities and a more general adoption of digital technologies in the population. A booming innovation sector, dynamic start-ups and major initiatives, such as the Fez Smart Factory industrial zone project, launched in September, are all positive signs for the recovery of the Moroccan post-Covid economy. “