By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Morocco’s Ministry of
Digital Transition and Administrative Reform and the United Nations Economic
and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in digital transformation, public
administration reform, governance, artificial intelligence and innovation.
The agreement was signed on
Wednesday in Rabat by Minister of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform
Amal Al-Falah Al-Saghrouni and Rania Al-Mashat, Executive Secretary of ESCWA
and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The MoU establishes an
institutional and practical framework for cooperation between the two
institutions, with a focus on exchanging expertise and supporting initiatives
aimed at modernising public administration and improving governance.
Speaking at the signing
ceremony, Minister Al-Saghrouni said the Ministry’s approach is based on
integrating digital transformation with administrative reform, describing the
two areas as complementary levers for rebuilding the administrative model, improving
the quality of public services, strengthening performance and bringing
government services closer to citizens and businesses.
She said Morocco began
preparing a roadmap for administrative transformation in May 2025 covering the
2026–2030 period. The roadmap seeks to establish a modern, flexible and
effective administrative model capable of anticipating and responding to rapid
changes in society, the economy and technology.
Al-Mashat stressed the
importance of drawing on Morocco’s experience in administrative reform and
digital transformation while promoting the exchange of accumulated practices
and expertise between countries.
She also underscored the
importance of stronger South-South cooperation and greater exchange of
experiences and expertise among states.
The agreement builds on the
existing cooperation between the Ministry and ESCWA, including the Third Arab
Forum for Public Administration held in Rabat on June 30 and July 1, 2026,
under the theme “Innovation in Governance for a Future-Ready Public Administration.”
Organised jointly by the
Ministry and ESCWA, the forum culminated in the Rabat Declaration, which
affirmed that digital transformation and administrative reform should be
pursued as complementary processes rather than separate agendas.
The declaration stressed
that modernising public administration requires more than simply digitising
services. It called for the re-engineering of processes, simplification of
procedures and improved governance approaches alongside the use of technology and
data and stronger interoperability.
The objective is to build a
more effective and transparent public administration that is more responsive
and accessible to citizens and businesses.
