World Bank approves $250 million loan to boost Morocco's digital transformation and offshoring competitiveness
via Le Matin5 min read
The World Bank's Board of Directors approved a $250 million loan on June 12 for Morocco's Digital Transformation Acceleration Program, aligning with the "Maroc Digital 2030" strategy. This program includes a component dedicated to the offshoring sector, which faces increasing competition, evolving international regulations, and the growing impact of automation and artificial intelligence. Morocco's offshoring sector employed 148,500 people in 2024, generated $2.9 billion in revenue in 2025, and contributed 1.6% to the national GDP. The sector is crucial for female employment, with women holding 47% of positions in 2024, approximately 70,000 jobs. However, the sector is vulnerable due to its strong reliance on the French-speaking market, with call centers accounting for 50% of offshoring revenue in 2023. Growing competition from countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Madagascar, and Senegal, along with automation and AI, are reducing labor cost advantages. The World Bank suggests Morocco needs to move beyond cost-based strategies to develop skills for complex, high-value-added services, enhance international visibility, and promote the new "Offre Maroc Offshoring." Morocco faces a shortage of digital talent, with only about 13,000 digital talents trained annually. Initiatives like JobInTech aim to train 15,000 new talents by 2027, with over 2,800 trained or in training since 2023, 41% of whom are women. The World Bank program aims to certify 20,000 people in advanced digital skills by
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Dutch media outlets, including the public broadcaster NOS, the daily Algemeen Dagblad AD, De Telegraaf, and ESPN.nl, have acknowledged Morocco's deserved victory over the Netherlands in the 2026 World Cup round of sixteen. NOS stated that Morocco was the better team and that the Dutch were dominated by the African champions, particularly in midfield. The media group noted that Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman's decision to switch to a five-man defense, a first in two years, demonstrated the respect Morocco's team commanded. This tactical change aimed to counter the Atlas Lions' strengths after the Netherlands' defensive struggles in the group stage. NOS also observed that this defeat continues the Netherlands' long series of failures against major global football nations. AD reported that the Netherlands simply failed to gain a technical advantage over the Moroccans, who dictated the pace of the match in Monterrey, Mexico. De Telegraaf echoed this sentiment, stating that Morocco played the kind of football the Netherlands was expected to develop. ESPN.nl concluded that Morocco abruptly ended the Netherlands' World Cup dream in an exciting match.
Morocco is undertaking a project to enhance the financial oversight of its 267 public establishments and enterprises EEP. As of September 2025, the public portfolio includes 217 public establishments and 50 public limited companies with direct Treasury participation. The Directorate of Public Enterprises and Privatization DEPP is responsible for their financial control, operating under Law 69-00, which is now set for modernization. The project, to be managed by an external provider, aims to create a single digital channel for end-to-end control of commitment and payment acts. It involves two main components: enriching the "AD@E" platform, operational since 2022 for payment regularity control, and developing a spending management module for EEPs without their own information systems. The DEPP currently uses "Massar" for economic, financial, and social data, and "AD@E" for payment regularity control through six modules. The new project will integrate an EEP control module, previously managed separately within "Massar," into the existing system. This expansion will cover the monitoring of commitment acts, such as contracts and purchase orders, from reception to approval or rejection, as well as supporting the verification missions of government commissioners and tracking recommendations. The project is structured in three phases: defining functional and technical specifications, development, testing, and deployment, and finally, training, capacity building, and skills transfer.
Must ReadFollowing Isma毛l Saibari's winning penalty kick, major cities across Morocco erupted in celebration as the Atlas Lions qualified for the World Cup. In Casablanca, avenues like Zerktouni Boulevard and United Nations Square filled with red-clad supporters waving national flags and chanting. Rabat saw similar fervor around Mohammed V Avenue and Bab El Had, with families and individuals sharing joy. Marrakech's Jama芒 El Fna square became a scene of popular communion, while Agadir's main avenues were flooded with thousands of fans until dawn. Beyond Morocco, hundreds of Moroccans gathered in New York's Times Square, transforming it into a Moroccan celebration with national anthems and chants, joined by Mexican supporters. In Beijing, despite the time difference, the Moroccan community, including students and diaspora members, watched the match at the Moroccan embassy, celebrating Saibari's decisive penalty. This qualification, which will see the Atlas Lions face Canada in the round of 16, has once again united Moroccans globally, fostering a strong sense of belonging and national pride.