Minister Delegate for Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, said the digitalization of public administration is experiencing growing momentum, as evidenced by Morocco’s rise of 11 places in the UN E-Government Development Index 2024.
During a ministerial panel at GITEX Africa 2025, taking place from April 14–16 in Marrakech, the Minister emphasized that the focus now is on improving Morocco’s ranking in the future.
Despite progress, some administrations still lack the fundamental capabilities necessary for large-scale digital projects, acknowledged the Minister, adding that a siloed approach to digitalization can hinder user-centered services, she said during the panel titled “The Public Sector in the Digital Age: Challenges, Strategies and Perspectives.”
The goal is to build “a more trustworthy, efficient, and transparent administration—one that is closer to citizens and better able to guide them and meet their needs,” she explained.
Morocco is undergoing a cultural and organizational shift alongside its tech advancements, driven by the Digital Morocco 2030 Strategy, according to the Minister. The focus is “on simplifying and digitizing public services, strengthening service reliability, and boosting the digital economy.”
A wide range of online services have already been developed, reflecting strong government momentum and commitment. But the Minister highlighted that public administrations still face the challenge of ensuring that these services are compliant and of creating a digital environment based on secure data interoperability between administrations.
This must be done through effective change management for government employees and users, while meeting citizens’ priority needs, she said, adding that Morocco also emphasizes data security, privacy, and adherence to standards in simplifying e-services.
Morocco is also prioritizing key digital projects that directly impact citizens, including the creation of shared infrastructure such as a national portal and one-stop shops, allowing users to access information and complete procedures through single entry points linked to various sectoral portals, she revealed.
The minister added that the goal is to move toward an integrated one-stop shop, enhanced by AI, to help users easily find and access public services.
A centralized pilot infrastructure for secure interoperability is being tested in the public sector, she revealed, adding that this will be supported by a regulatory framework aligned with existing laws and a trusted environment for data producers and consumers.
Collaborative digital transformation:
The importance of digital transformation as a collaborative, inclusive effort—driven by public-private partnerships and international cooperation—was front and center at the ministerial panel.
Hajar el Haddaoui, Director General of the Digital Cooperation Organisation, stressed that digital transformation and the digital economy “cannot be planned in isolation,” calling for collaboration across governments, the private sector, and citizens.
She warned that “39% of today’s skills will not exist anymore in the next five years.”
To address these shifts, she pointed to the relaunch of the Digital Economy Navigator (DEN)—a roadmap aimed at bridging digital gaps in policy, infrastructure, and capacity building.
She also noted a clear talent gap not only in tech but also in legal and regulatory fields, emphasizing the need to build a “holistic ecosystem, rather than addressing these challenges in isolation.”
Stefan Schnorr, Germany’s State Secretary for Digital and Transport, highlighted Europe’s experience, noting that Estonia, which rebuilt their systems from scratch after 1990, has been especially successful in the digitalization of public services.
But countries like Germany still face challenges due to legacy systems. Schnorr pointed out major differences in data management and IT systems between regions, noting that these systems are often not interoperable.
“Our main challenge now is to bring them together in the interest of the people and to digitize all public services,” he said.
“We can learn a lot from Africa,” Schnorr emphasized, advocating for two-way cooperation between Europe and Africa. He underlined the importance of dialogue and best practice exchanges.
Reflecting on past mistakes in Europe, he said, “we built systems that were too complicated, didn’t focus on modular solutions, and used too little open source—making us dependent.”
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