Morocco covers more than 10,000 rural areas with communication services and launches the second phase of the national plan.
Minister of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, Amal Al-Fallahi Al-Sagrouchni, confirmed that the coverage of rural areas with second, third, and fourth-generation communication services reached an advanced level, encompassing 10,660 areas out of 10,740 programmed within the national plan for high and very high-speed internet development.
During a session of oral questions at the House of Representatives on Monday, the minister explained that the second phase of this plan has been launched to extend coverage to an additional 2,000 rural areas suffering from weak or non-existent internet service, with a target date of 2026. She noted that satellite technologies (VSAT) would be utilized in locations that cannot be covered by land networks, allowing customers to receive financial support of up to 2,500 dirhams for each subscription, with a limit of 4,000 beneficiaries annually.
Al-Sagrouchni highlighted that the identification of these areas was based on a participatory approach with local authorities, parliamentarians, and elected officials, pointing out that national roaming service is now available in over 7,300 areas, including fourth-generation service.
Regarding the assessment of the national anti-corruption strategy (2015-2025), the minister stated that the number of its projects has increased to 106, emphasizing the implementation of significant initiatives in areas such as corruption prevention, oversight, awareness, and training, including the launch of a hotline for reporting bribery and the issuance of a public facilities charter.
She added that a joint committee consisting of the government presidency, the Ministry of Digital Transition, and the National Authority for Integrity and the Prevention of Corruption is currently preparing an evaluation methodology for this strategy and gathering data, with the aim of issuing a comprehensive report that provides recommendations to guide relevant public policies, paving the way for a new strategy based on the lessons learned.
With regard to the administrative decentralization project, the minister confirmed that the ministry has supported important measures to implement the national decentralization charter, including revising the delegation system and amending the organic law for appointing senior positions to add the heads of regional administrative representations. Additionally, it is preparing regulatory texts related to the establishment of these representations.
She also noted that a draft decree is being prepared to update the organizational rules of state administrations and another to amend the decree concerning the appointment of department and service heads, in addition to supporting ministerial sectors in updating their managerial plans for the period 2025–2027 and reviewing them at the executive committees.
