Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
June 24 , 2006

Minnesota honours Morocco.
Two thirds of Moroccan poor are from rural areas.
Morocco took 'important steps' to ensure equal gender opportunities, Minister.
Morocco loses 22,000ha of arable lands every year.
Internet subscribers in Morocco are over 300k.
Morocco earmarks over USD 570Mn to provide drinking water for rural populations.
Morocco worries about desertification threat
Morocco 'good example' in slum fighting, UN-Habitat
Morocco hooks up mosques to TV to fight extremism.
Some 260 generalist doctors recruited in 2006 in rural areas, minister
All against tuberculosis
USAID awards winning students of ESP Kid project.
French association distributes 200 wheelchairs.
Active Civil Society Vital for Ambitious National Plan 
Improving Logistics

Minnesota honours Morocco.
By Oumnia Guedda

Morocco was honoured this weekend in Minnesota, USA, during the annual fund-raising gala dinner of the Minnesota International Centre (MIC), MAP news agency reported. This year, the Minnesota centre, willing to honour an Islamic country, has chosen Morocco, the country considered as "America's friend for forever" and a country of openness, tolerance and dialogue. Through this initiative, the MIC wanted to celebrate the good relations binding the two countries and peoples, and give the opportunity to the citizens of Minnesota State to closely know an Islamic country renowned for its long tradition of tolerance. "Morocco, our oldest friend and the first state to have recognized the US after its independence, is a country with a rich history and fascinating culture," underlined the MIC president, Carol Engebretson.

The event was also an opportunity to celebrate the 30th anniversary of cooperation relations between Minnesota University and Morocco. "This cooperation has allowed hundreds of Moroccan students to follow their studies in Minnesota and a number of professors of the Minnesota's university to teach in Morocco," said Engebretson. "This gala dinner was also an opportunity to honour the relations between Minnesota citizens and the 1,500 Moroccans living in the State," added the president, underlining that these Moroccans are well educated and occupy important positions in the society and are well integrated into the American community.

She also pointed out that one of these Moroccans, Abdessamad Morabit, professor of mathematics at the university, is a member of the committee organizing the event. For her part, the president of the gala, Laura Merriam, has underlined that "Morocco is an interesting country that fascinates the Americans," adding that "Tangier and Casablanca are endowed with a certain romance." "Morocco is the first Arab, African and Islamic country to be honoured by the MIC," she concluded. "This gala," Engebretson went on, "is a wonderful experience," expressing her confidence that the event will contribute to the consolidation of the already-strong relations existing between Morocco and the US. "I want all Moroccans to know that we are determined to consolidate the bilateral relations between the two countries and work together so that understanding and harmony prevail," added MIC president.

The Moroccan Ambassador to the US, Aziz Mekouar, who was the gala's president of hounour, presented to the audience the new Morocco. "Morocco which has launched important reforms in the economic, political and social fields, registering, with the orientation of HM King Mohammed VI, important achievements in all domains," said the Moroccan diplomat. He mentioned the progress achieved in the domains of human rights, state's law and the adoption of the new family code.

In a warm and jovial atmosphere, the 500 attendants who came to celebrate the kingdom enjoyed the Moroccan culinary art. The gala, which is the most-awaited event in Minnesota, gathered presidents and general directors of Minnesota's biggest enterprises namely Cargill, 3 M, Donaldson, Medtronic, General Mills; members and former president of MIC; members from the Moroccan community in Minnesota and members from Peace Corps who have served in Morocco like Tim Resch, the president of "Friends of Morocco" association.
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Two thirds of Moroccan poor are from rural areas.
Rabat, June 16

Two thirds of the poor in Morocco are from the rural area, said, here Thursday, Moroccan Secretary of State in charge of Rural Development, Mohamed Mohattane. Speaking at a conference on poverty, Mohattane noted that fighting this phenomenon requires federating the efforts of ministerial departments and civil society institutions. It is a problem that should be handled according to scientific criteria, and through a program based on scientific concepts at the sociological, cultural and economic levels. Mohattane recalled that poverty rate moved from 55% at the independence to 23% in 2004.

According to the population census of 2004, poverty rate in Morocco is estimated at 14.2% at the national level. It is estimated at 22% in rural areas and 7.9% in urban areas. Rural poverty is due to natural and structural problems that hinder the development of this area, notably desertification as Morocco loses some 22,000ha of arable lands every year because of this phenomenon.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_social/two_thirds_of_morocc/view 
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Morocco took 'important steps' to ensure equal gender opportunities, Minister.
Rabat, June 15

Equal chances between men and women are central to Moroccan development strategies, Family and Childhood State Secretary, Yasmina Baddou, said here Wednesday, at a preparatory conference for the Euro-med ministerial conference scheduled for November in Istanbul. Morocco has introduced several reforms to remove all forms of gender discrimination, especially in national legislations, Baddou told participants in the meeting.

The minister cited, in this regard, adopting a quota system in the elections and implementing "positive discrimination" in the election of management bodies in political parties. Chief of the European commission in Morocco, Bruno Dethomas, stressed the UE commitment to improve women's conditions in the Mediterranean through action plans in the political, educational and health fields.

Echoing him, Austrian ambassador in Rabat, Gerhard Deiss, whose country chairs the rotating UE presidency, said Morocco proved its commitment to enhance women's situation, and praised the Civil Society's role in fighting all forms of discrimination against women. Participants will discuss gender social norms and roles in the region, awareness-raising mechanisms, and the enhancement of women's status and their role in consolidating peace and intercultural dialogue.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/morocco_took__import/view 
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Morocco loses 22,000ha of arable lands every year.
Rabat, June 14

Morocco loses some 22,000ha of arable lands every year because of desertification. According to indicators presented at a study day, organized here Wednesday, under the theme "fighting desertification: facts and action perspectives," five million hectares are subject to hydraulic erosion, while deforestation touches 33,000ha every year.

At the 14th meeting of the International Soil Conservation Organization (ISCO), held in May, High Commissioner for water and forests and desertification control, Abdeladim Lhafi revealed that some 93% of Moroccan land is arid or semiarid, noting that dam silting up is estimated at some 75Mn m3, which reduces storage capacity to nearly 0.5% every year. Desertification touches some 4Bn ha of emerged lands and 250Mn of persons around the world.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/morocco_loses_22000/view 
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Internet subscribers in Morocco are over 300k.
Casablanca, June 14

Since the introduction of the ADSL in Morocco, the number of Internet subscribers has reached some 316,000, i.e. an upsurge of 134% in comparison to the Q1 of 2005, revealed Minister of Economic and General Affairs, Rachid Talbi El Alami, here on Wednesday. El Alami told the opening of the 5th international meeting on IT, Med-IT@Casablanca <mailto:Med-IT@Casablanca> the number of internet users stands today at 4 millions, adding this number is expected to jump to 10 millions in three years.

The minister deemed that the success of the telecommunication sectors hinges upon the democratisation of Internet in Morocco. El Alami added his department has devised a new e-Maroc strategy that touches on the five coming years. It aims at developing the information society and bridging the digital gap on the one hand, and positioning Morocco in the international scene of the IT.

The government, he said, has culminated in the signing of a program-contract for the 2006-2013 period with the private sectors that eyes a 10% contribution of the IT sector in the GDP in 2013. It also aims at reaching a turnover of MAD 20Bn (about USD 2.2Bn), excluding telecoms, and creating over 130,000 direct and indirect jobs by the same year. Med-IT@Casablanca <mailto:Med-IT@Casablanca> lasts for two days and groups 34 exhibitors representing Morocco, France, Switzerland, and Luxembourg.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/internet_subscribers/view 
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Morocco earmarks over USD 570Mn to provide drinking water for rural populations.
Rabat, June 13

Morocco has earmarked some MAD 5Bn, USD 570.7Mn, to the national program to supply rural areas in drinking water, for the 2006-2007 period, revealed, here Tuesday, State Secretary in Charge of Water. Abdelkebir Zahoud, who was speaking at a House of Advisors question time, deemed that these investments will allow for supplying up to 90% of these areas with water in 2007. The minister called for pooling the efforts of the different actors to succeed this operation, which was instructed to the drinking water utility (ONEP). Zahoud recalled that ONEP has banked on the principle of partnership as provided for in the grouped supply in drinking water for rural populations program (PAGER). The utility has provided regional councils with partnership projects defining priorities and projects, he added.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/morocco_earmarks_ove/view 
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Morocco worries about desertification threat: Official figures state some 22,000 hectares of arable land disappears under desert every year in Morocco.
RABAT

Almost the whole of Morocco is threatened by increasing desertification, a senior official said Thursday, saying that efforts to combat it are proving inadequate. Abdeladim El Hafi, high commissioner for water and forests, was speaking to AFP ahead of Saturday's World Day to Combat Desertification. "Between 90 and 93 percent of Morocco is affected by aridity and other forms of drought," he said, blaming climate change and overuse and misuse of land. Attempts to deal with it include reforestation, dune stabilisation and measures against erosion, but "these measures are insufficient", he added, calling for action by everyone concerned, including the use of renewable energy sources. Some 22,000 hectares (55,000 acres) of arable land disappears under the desert every year in Morocco, according to official figures. Agriculture accounts for up to 20 percent of gross domestic product, but this can drop to 13 percent, depending on the weather.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=16746 
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Morocco 'good example' in slum fighting, UN-Habitat

Morocco is a "good example" for the countries that aim to eradicate slums by 2010, said the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), MAP news agency reported. In its 2006-2007 report, released on Friday in New York, the international body says that "Morocco offers a good example as a country which, through its ambitious "Cities Without Slums" programme, eyes the eradication of slums by the year 2010."

It also hailed Morocco as one of the rare countries where top officials voice firm political commitment to put an end to unhealthy housing. "This kind of political commitment," it said, "is a major strength for changing life conditions of millions of humans in developing countries." In recent years, Morocco has launched an aggressive programme to totally eradicate slums by the end of the decade, "over 500 projects were launched to build 440,000 housing units," it added.

In 2005 alone, 100,000 low-cost housing units were built. The Minister of Housing and Urbanism, Taoufik Hjira, said early this year that Morocco will "take up the challenge and fill in the gap in urban and rural housing by building 150,000 low-cost housing units per year in the medium-term." He ensured that the construction pace of 100,000 yearly housing units will be maintained in the three coming years.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=15438 
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Morocco hooks up mosques to TV to fight extremism.
Tue Jun 20, RABAT (Reuters)

Morocco on Monday connected its largest mosques to a television network to broadcast a tolerant version of Islam as part of a government drive to fight radical Islamic fundamentalism, officials said. The move effectively puts the country's largest mosques under the government's direct control, curbing the role of radical Muslim preachers in many places of worship. Morocco has been on alert against the influence of radical Islamists since 2003 when suicide bombings killed 45 people.

Many in the government and in anti-Islamist opposition circles blamed radical preachers for the attacks, arguing they had influenced the bombers.
King Mohammed on Monday launched the programme to connect 2,000 mosques across the country to a television network to air sermons and other religious guidance. "The 2,000 mosques are the largest ones and account for more than 80 percent of places of worship in terms of the numbers faithful in attendance and space. The total number of mosques in Morocco is 35,000," a senior government official said.

Almost half of the 2,000 mosques hooked up to the television network are in the countryside, where the illiteracy rate is about 80 percent.
The daily programme, including a 10-minute Koranic interpretation, is produced by elite Islamic scholars under the supervision of the Habous and Islamic Affairs Ministry. "The objective is to spread noble discourse to the faithful and protect mosques from weak and deviant speeches," Islamic Affairs Minister Ahmed Taoufik said.

Last month Morocco appointed 50 women as the first female state mosque preachers to combat the influence of female radical Islamists at mosques and other public places, such as hospitals and prisons. The government had earlier bolstered the authority of the country's Higher Council of Ulemas on religious matters to try to cut the impact of fatwas issued by more radical, freelance clerics.
http://za.today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-06-20T071728Z_01_ALL026231_RTRIDST_0_OZATP-MOROCCO-MOSQUES-20060620.XML 
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Some 260 generalist doctors recruited in 2006 in rural areas, minister

Some 260 generalist doctors have been recruited during the first half of 2006 to reinforce health care services in rural areas, said on Tuesday the Health Minister Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah. Addressing the House of Advisors, Biadillah added that 250 others will be recruited within the coming months, MAP news agency reported.

Concerning the shortages the Moroccan health sector faces in equipment and paramedical staff in rural areas, the minister said 1,348 nurses worked in rural areas during 2005 and the first half of 2006. As for medical infrastructure in rural areas, Biadillah noted that rural health centres represent 70% of the national basic health care institutions, precising that they have reached 1,862 out of the total 2,540 units spread all over the kingdom.

He also recalled that the government has exerted efforts to reinforce the existing system by constructing 145 new basic health care units and providing their equipment, restoring 223 others, and re-opening 187 units which were formerly closed. Some 390 houses have also been constructed, the minister added, to encourage medical staff working in rural areas to settle near their work places.

The issue of health staff shortage in Morocco was discussed amid an international concern about the issue. Last April, on the occasion of the World Health Day, the World Health Organisation had presented a report which put shortages in health human resources among the most urgent problems of developing countries. According to the report, which placed Morocco among the 57 countries which have a severe shortage in health workers, there are only 2.3 health workers for each 1,000 citizens, compared to 18.9 in Europe and 24.8 in North America.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=15511 
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All against tuberculosis

The Moroccan Ministry of Health is organizing in Rabat on June 23-25 a workshop on the strategy of the fight against tuberculosis for the 2006-2015 period. The meeting aims at anaylising the epidemiologic situation of tuberculosis at the national, regional, and provincial level. It is also an opportunity to discuss the realization of millennium objectives related to the fight against the pandemic.

The workshop targets as well the adoption of the new world strategy to fight tuberculosis at the national level and the elaboration of a national strategy based on communication and social mobilization. The meeting will be attended by representatives of NGOs, directors of penitentiaries, doctors and central directors from the Ministry of Health. In Morocco, 70% of people suffering from tuberculosis are aged between 15 and 45. 55% of those affected are men. According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, tuberculosis is still spreading in different regions in the world, registering an increase of 1% per year especially in Africa. Over 1.7 million people died in 2004.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=15424 
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USAID awards winning students of ESP Kid project.
By Kaoutar Tbabtou

A number of young students of primary, secondary, and high schools who designed the best projects within the ESP Kid project were awarded on Thursday in Mohammedia by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). As part of the USAID's education and training project ALEF, ESP Kid is a pilot project which targeted the students of three primary and two secondary schools, with the aim of developing their entrepreneurship spirit and skills.

Through a series of workshops, the project provided participants with useful information about initiative-taking, commitment respect, efficiency and quality requirements, calculated risk-taking, setting objectives, planning, developing contacts, team work, and autonomy. "My students have acquired self-confidence which gave them the courage for self-expression, audacity, independence, and hard work," said Zahia Kesraoui, professor of French in the Errachid Secondary School of Casablanca. Organised into small groups of five to six members, the students elaborated innovative projects which they launched within their schools.

The ideas included, among others, selling croquettes at school after class (Errachid Secondary School, Casablanca), organising an open fair for entertainment and convivial activities (Al Hikma Institute, Casablanca), and writing, printing and selling two stories (The Institute for Socio-Educative Development, Khouribga). Participants were called to describe their projects, and plan them, specifying marketing strategy, financing, and the way the group's members would distribute tasks. All the projects were then submitted to an independent jury who chose the winners.

"I am very impressed with what I have just seen. The ESP Kid programme, intended for primary and secondary school students, aims at developing their behaviour, attitudes, and know-how. All these factors are essential to make today's young people lead successful professional and personal lives," said USAID director Monica Stein-Olson, who attended the prize-giving ceremony. During the coming academic year, the USAID, in collaboration with its partners, will extend the ESP Kid experience to other education institutions, in order to obtain a more comprehensive assessment of the programme's efficiency. To perpetuate the experience, a number of professors were trained to become ESP Kid trainers during the project's workshops.

ALEF was launched by the USAID in cooperation with the Cherifien Office of Phosphates (OCP), the Ministry of National Education, and Mohammedia's Hassan II University. It also includes other programmes for the development of entrepreneurship spirit and skills, like ESP Pro, which will benefit a number of trainees from 20 institutions of professional training in the fields of agriculture and tourism.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=15428 
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French association distributes 200 wheelchairs.

About 200 disadvantaged handicapped people in the Essaouira province have benefited from wheelchairs offered by the French Association "Handicap en liberté" (Handicap in freedom), reported MAP news agency. Apart from the 90 wheelchairs, which were distributed Wednesday, this humanitarian action, initiated in partnership with the Association for the Protection of Handicapped children and the Essaouira-Mogador association, included disadvantaged people from the communes of Had Dra, Talmest, El Hanchane and Tamanar.

The members of the French association, including its president Sonnic Gilbert, who was born in Essaouira, gave up three days to distribute the 200 wheelchairs with the help of volunteers and representatives from local associations. "Our action targets in priority the most disadvantaged social categories," said the 'Handicap en liberté' president.

At a ceremony organised in Essaouira for the occasion, the president of the French association said the distributed wheelchairs were collected in France from clinics, pension houses and others. "The beneficiary's smile is our reward," underlined Gilbert, adding that the association has already undertaken the same action in several regions in Morocco. The president of the Essaouira-Mogador association, Redouane El Khan, said that this noble mission will allow the beneficiaries to enjoy more mobility and freedom.

"Fighting for the integration of the handicapped is fighting for the dignity of men," he said, underlining the firm involvement of the association in fighting for the dignity and the insertion of handicapped people in society. "Thanks to this wheelchair, I am able to get out of my house, watch the outside world, discover my town and meet people," said a young beneficiary.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=15402 
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Active Civil Society Vital for Ambitious National Plan 
Abderrahim El Ouali CASABLANCA, Jun 22 (IPS)

A robust civil society in Morocco could have speeded up efforts launched a year ago to improve people's lives, development planners believe. In May 2005, Morocco's King Mohamed VI launched the ambitious National Initiative for Human Development (NIHD), a five-year plan for sustainable socio-economic and political development through projects for building infrastructure, employment and social services, particularly in rural areas. Local communities, the government and non-governmental organisations were to create action plans based on local priorities and build the necessary partnerships to implement and manage the projects.

But one year later, it appears that instilling a sense of public ownership of the NIHD projects remains an enormous challenge. The reasons are historical. ''Civil action has been completely absent during the last 20 years here, '' explained Mostafa Hannaoui, president of the Modernity Association for Moulay Rachid Youth (MAMRY). "Associations were founded only for electoral purposes," he told IPS. That has changed only since the king's ascent to the throne in 1999. ''Since the enthronement of King Mohamed VI, and because political parties have lost too much credibility, associations are being given a larger margin to act,"
said Hannaoui.

Moulay Rachid is a municipality in Casablanca. It was created in 1992. For the more than 100,000 people living here, there is only one "youth house, which does not have enough space for all the associations that work in the area", Hannaoui said. Associations that do not have the means to set up independent offices are located in youth houses, particularly in poorer areas. ''For 21 years, this area suffered from the lack of infrastructure,'' he observed.

The NIHD has a three-pronged strategy to tackle poverty in rural areas, marginalisation in urban centres and improve standards of living. In 2006, 264 areas in both urban areas and the countryside were earmarked to benefit from human development projects under the national plan. The initiative targets over five million people and has a budget of more than 1.1 billion dollars until 2010. In Moulay Rachid, associations and the municipality were invited to a meeting on Jun. 3 to brainstorm on a "participative approach in local governance." At the end of the discussion it was decided to create the Moulay Rachid Participative Space, MRPS.

A report dated Jun. 10, of which IPS has a copy, announced the creation of the MRPS but said that "the representatives of the Moulay Rachid municipality council were absent from the meeting contrary to what was recommended within the conference." Associations members told IPS that this absence "can be seen as a rejection of the idea since the MRPS does not serve the electoral ambitions of the municipality president". Local elections are expected in 2007. Some distance from Moulay Rachid, Douar Ouled Mellouk, a very poorly developed part of Casablanca's suburbs, has been targeted under the NIHD. Residents will be provided with basic services like safe drinking water and community structures.

But Abdellah Soundouss, a father of three, who has lived in the area since 1976 may not benefit from the programme. He and some 13 other householders have been served eviction notices by local authorities who want to acquire the land on which their houses are built. "I was called by local authorities and told that if I do not leave the house and the area where I have lived for more than 27 years, I will be sent to prison," he told IPS. While the other families have shifted out after accepting the compensation of around 252 euros each, Soundouss has said he has nowhere to go to. He has written to the governor of Ben Msik prefecture in Casablanca, and articles about his plight have been published in some newspapers. "This does not fit in with the aims of the NIHD since it was set up to give equity to the poorest and to include them in social and cultural development," Hannaoui commented. But he added that the initiative was at an early stage, and some hitches can only be expected.

Morocco's bold plan for national development has been widely praised. There is no denying the government is committed to its implementation. The plan has been built around community participation. The dialogue in each village and neighbourhood in the targeted areas will be facilitated by women and men who will be trained in drawing out information and ideas from participants. They will help organise meetings, manage disputes and build consensus. The facilitators will be identified from among schoolteachers, government health and agriculture officials, politicians, non-government members and others who want to make a positive difference in the communities in which they live and work.

A National Strategy Committee has been set up as a coordinating group. Under the plan, local centres dedicated to vulnerable groups like children, women, the homeless and elderly will help them attain self-reliance through skills building. These centres will be managed by community members and will assist local people in designing and implementing projects to help achieve ambitious sustainable development goals. They also provide the transfer of skills in modern agriculture, health, handicrafts, management and other areas identified by the local population.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33724 
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Improving Logistics
Morocco, Volume 100 21.06.2006

By seizing the opportunity to increase the efficiency of trade logistics, as highlighted by a recent World Bank study, Morocco will improve its competitiveness in the global market. Under the title "Morocco's trade logistics and competitiveness", the study examined the strengths and weaknesses of the logistics chain in the kingdom's key economic sectors and distribution networks. It was given to the Moroccan government this week, ahead of the Logistics Forum that will gather officials, professionals, unions and analysts on June 21 in Casablanca.

The survey, the preliminary conclusions of which were disputed by transport officials a year ago, is presented as groundwork for the implementation of the World Bank's 2005-2009 co-operation strategy. Its objective is to "convert logistics into an asset to increase the competitiveness of the Moroccan economy". Indeed, with Morocco taking position as a key supplier of the EU in a number of industries, analysts have long pointed out to the need to overhaul freight operation to and from the EU, which accounts for over 60% of Morocco's international trade.

Dubbed the "Emergence" programme, the kingdom's industrial strategy aims at positioning Morocco as a key supplier of the EU in a number of value-added industries, namely electronics, automotive and aeronautics, textiles, and food processing. This strategy, based on Morocco's proximity to Europe, allows it to withstand Asian competition by offering shorter delivery times and on-demand supply. As such, the kingdom is aware it needs to boost its comparative advantage by streamlining the logistics chain and bringing freight charges down.

To help Moroccan businesses remain competitive in the global market place, the priority is to reduce the burden of logistics costs, which currently account for some 20% of GDP - a figure to be compared with 15 to 17% in large emerging economies such as China, Mexico and Brazil, and 10 to 16% in the EU.

With 98% of Morocco's international trade channelled by sea, the study underlines the need to make maritime transport more competitive. Handling costs in Casablanca - the country's largest port, with 40% of the country's freight volume - remain too high. Indeed, the survey compares handling costs for a 40-foot container, between Casablanca and a number of Mediterranean ports such as Barcelona, Genoa and Istanbul, and concludes that Morocco's main port is relatively expensive, a detail that had already been established by a previous survey on the country's merchant marine conducted by the UK's Drewry Shipping Consultants.

A number of analysts pin this cost issue on the state-owned port operator, the Office d'Exploitation des Ports (ODEP), which still enjoys a monopoly on handling operations in 15 of the country's commercial ports, including Casablanca. While the strength of the dockers' unions has played a role in the ODEP's salary burden, the main cause of the office's difficulty to lower handling costs stems from the current organisation, with independent stevedoring companies in charge of handling operations on board, while the ODEP takes care of handling on the wharf. This gap in the chain hampers efficiency, while the lack of competition within the stevedoring corporation also increases costs.

The port reform, currently underway, aims at addressing this issue by changing the rules of the game. In line with Morocco's commitment to liberalisation, ODEP will be converted into a state-owned commercial company, the Société d'Exploitation des Ports (SODEP), while its public prerogatives will be transferred to a new body, the National Ports Agency (ANP), which will be in charge of regulation and control, as well as granting concessions and maintaining the infrastructure.

In addition, as some terminals are working under capacity, their traffic will be grouped so as to free a number of terminals that will be offered as concessions to stevedoring companies, with the aim of spurring competition between these and SODEP. The objective is to introduce competition between ports, as well as competition between terminals of the same port, with the ANP in charge of promoting fair competition by ensuring there is no collusion or dumping.

Reform is also expected to allow Moroccan ports to decrease their handling times, as containers currently remain eight days, on average, in the Casablanca port, while trailers typically have to wait one day in Tangiers to cross the Strait of Gibraltar. While EU-based freight companies have addressed this issue by creating shuttles that link Casablanca and Paris in two-and-a-half days, there are concerns that this delay will increase if Morocco applies the EU regulation that forbids international transport trucks to move during weekends.

Another issue for Morocco is the high price of maritime transport to and from its ports, which is mostly due to the weakness of its manufactured exports. With at least 30% of imported containers leaving the country empty, and Morocco off the main global shipping routes, transport costs between Casablanca and Marseille are around $500 for a 20-feet container - a figure to be compared to $310 between Tunis and Marseille.

The good news is that the new Tanger Med port is expected to relieve the logistics burden when it opens next summer. Managed by a specific agency in co-operation with high-profile international partners, this is expected to unlock the current bottleneck at the Strait of Gibraltar, offer much more competitive handling fares, and entice shipping companies to open new routes, thus pushing transport costs down and cutting down delays. Morocco faces the challenge of reorganising its internal transport system to seamlessly integrate the new port and move ahead with the ongoing port reform. The kingdom's effort to improve its transport logistic chain is a step closer to a more competitive economy.
http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/weekly01.asp?id=2058 
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