2023-10-12 12:00:37
According to Ms. Mezzour, 90% of the population has access to the Internet, or 9 out of 10 Moroccans.
Morocco has an internet penetration rate of 96% and the infrastructure allowing populations in remote places to access this service. In any case, this is what Ghita Mezzour said during a conference under the theme “The digital future for all is being prepared now” which was held on October 10 during the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the Bank world which takes place in Marrakech from October 9 to 15, 2023.
Access to digital technology is currently one of the development criteria. Its availability is of crucial importance in the daily lives of people around the world. However, nearly 3 billion people still did not have access to the Internet in 2022, 1.4 billion are unbanked and 850 million individuals do not have an official identity document, according to the World Bank. Furthermore, the vast majority of these excluded people live in developing countries. In order to accelerate the digital transition and resolve the issues related to it, we must increase investments, innovation and partnerships, both in the public and private sectors.
Improving broadband coverage, establishing digital public infrastructure and digital skills will allow future generations to have the tools necessary to fully participate in the global economy. To address these themes, a conference under the theme “The digital future for all is preparing now” was held on October 10 during the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank which are taking place in Marrakech from October 9 to 15, 2023. This event shined the spotlight on the essential elements for the development of digital economies and how we can initiate actions and investments that will guarantee a connected future for all.
Axel van Trotsenburg, senior managing director of the World Bank, development policies and partnerships, focused on access to digital service citing that in industrialized countries, 9 out of 10 people benefit from it while in low-income countries income, 2.7 billion people have no access to the Internet, or 35% of the world’s population. “If we want countries to not be left behind because of the digital divide, we need to address the issue of digitalization and we need to talk regarding the foundations of digital. We also need to facilitate connectivity so that it is affordable and fast, which requires the construction of an entire digital infrastructure. Speaking on this occasion, Ghita Mezzour, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government responsible for digital transition and administration reform, focused on digital technology as a lever for economic and social development. “We don’t do digital for digital’s sake. The goal being to serve society and human beings (…) in Morocco, we have 90% of the population who have access to the Internet, or 9 out of 10 Moroccans. We have one of the best telecoms infrastructures in Africa and the country has set up a special fund to connect places where there is not much population, especially rural areas. In 2018, more than 10,000 localities which had no internet coverage or low internet coverage had to be covered and thanks to this fund today 96% of these areas are covered,” notes the minister. Regarding the earthquake, she indicated that the electricity was cut but in less than 12 hours 95% of connectivity returned to normal “thanks to the efforts made to restore electricity”, she said. And added: “We have very resilient infrastructure and we connect even the most remote places in Morocco.”
Participating in this panel, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communication and Digitalization in Ghana, shared her country’s experience in the digital field. She emphasizes that “it is essential not to lose sight of the fact that 50% of the world’s population are women (…) In Ghana we deliberately try to include women” noting the various programs in this regard.
1697136685
#Ghita #Mezzour #highlights #Moroccos #experience #digital #technology #Today #Morocco
