Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
November 25 , 2006

Moroccan movement seeks to grant woman one-third of parliamentary seats.
By Imane Belhaj.19/11/06

Moroccan associations involved in a movement to increase women's parliamentary representation to one-third after the 2007 elections will be guided by a recent study identifying remaining obstacles to women attaining leadership positions. The study preparer feels a change in societal mentality is necessary for the changes to occur.

The movement to increase women's parliamentary representation in Morocco will be helped by a Democratic Association of Moroccan Women study released on November 7th that cited key points in the struggle of the women's movement since 1992 and identified remaining obstacles to women attaining leadership positions. The study is part of a two-year partnership programme with the EU providing for the increase of women in leadership positions. The partnership includes a training programme for women wishing to run in legislative elections.

Association President Rachida Tahiri told Magharebia, "With this study, we want to put in place a framework to consider what mechanisms will improve this representation. We are also aiming to make the issue of women's political representation part of the debate concerning strengthening and broadening of democracy, that is to say, to integrate it into a framework of thought and discussion about the electoral process and then to work to build on what has been gained by the quota system, which has given Moroccan women the right to 10% representation in the Chamber of Deputies."

According to Nazha Skalli, parliamentary deputy for the Party of Progress and Socialism, the study is part of a long series of initiatives seeking to increase women's political representation. "This work comes at a crucial time when Parliament [began] discussion of the Electoral Law on November 14th. It will become apparent that women must be present at this debate, have their voices heard and their demands communicated. We as parliamentarians will strive to communicate this message and this demand which leads into the whole question of reforming representational democracy, which I believe is currently in crisis. I think that female participation gives democracy the opportunity to address the concerns of citizens and get politics closer to the family, the street and society in general," she told Magharebia.

A movement to grant one-third of parliamentary seats to women in 2007 was formed in June. Its membership includes 34 Moroccan women's associations. The movement will mobilise to resist all forms of discrimination against women and inequality in its liaisons with decision makers and political leaders to review ways to ensure greater involvement of women in the 2007 elections. It will also appeal to the media in spreading its cause.

Mohammad V University law professor Mohamed Mouaquit, who prepared the study for the Democratic Association of Moroccan Women, states political representation of women in Morocco "does not mean the number of seats designated to women as it might seem, but basically it means a profound change in mentality, which requires emphasising male domination of women as a particular form of the power relationships within societies. It also means working within a social-type framework to help deploy all means to oppose inequality and discrimination and to validate the importance of female solidarity in this struggle to achieve equality, democracy and citizenship." http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2006/11/19/feature-02
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Shortage of youth clubs exists in Morocco. By Sarah Touahri . 15/11/06

Morocco is beset by a shortage of youth clubs, their uneven distribution across the country and their inadequate infrastructure. Some researchers are concerned about the effects of youth having limited entertainment outlets. Demographic researcher Berrouyne Mustapha feels the 303 youth clubs in Morocco are not enough to meet the country's needs. Only one youth club exists for every 20,888 people in the 15-24 demographic in the country.

"Some of them lack basic infrastructure and are therefore incapable of meeting young people's demands," adds Mustapha. Education researcher Mohamed El Aouad notes youth club attendance is hindered by the distance between them, the overall lack of clubs, lack of information, and absence of programmes and activities for young people. He also points to a problem with the distribution. The distribution of clubs do not seem to follow any particular pattern, as El Khémissat has 16 youth clubs, while the much larger city of Tangier has only three.

El Aouad also points to a shortage of sporting facilities, as only 638 sporting grounds exist in Morocco.
"We've got nowhere to let off steam and have fun. All we've got is the street. That's not our fault," asserts 17-year-old Hafid Boukerracha.

Sociologist Ali Chaâbani agrees that young people have nowhere to relax and spend their leisure time.
"Young people in Morocco cannot live out their youth as they should because of this disappointing state of affairs, along with other constraints. They are confronted by other challenges when it comes to their integration into the life of society. They are reliant on their families or other institutions."

Mustapha states the shortage of infrastructures for leisure and entertainment leads young people to spend most of their time in cafés or mosques. Chaâbani worries that the lack of entertainment areas leads many young Moroccans to turn towards television and video games. He is concerned that "television channels can have a dangerous influence in shaping tastes and minds".

El Mounabih Alami, a youth director at one of the centres, believes such facilities are a better option for young people because they are aimed at character-building and helping young people adapt to modern life by giving them the means to express themselves and develop their skills and knowledge. He adds that the objective is to bring them together to exchange ideas in an atmosphere of co-operation and understanding. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2006/11/15/feature-01
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Morocco earmarks $185m for modernising schools in 2007.17/11/2006

Morocco will spend around $185m for modernising schools in 2007, Minister of Education Habib El Malki said Wednesday (November 15th). Reportedly, the budget would cover construction and equipment of 40 primary schools, 80 secondary schools, 30 high schools, and 30 boarding schools. The ministry will also provide funds for the repair of around 640 school buildings. Within the programme, six technical education workshops will aim to boost qualification of education sector personnel.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2006/11/17/newsbrief-07
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Morocco's inflation accelerates to 4.2% in October. 20/11/2006

Morocco's inflation rose to 4.2% in October compared to the year-earlier period and up from 4.1 % in September, boosted by foodstuff and transport costs, the latest provisional figures released by the country's planning council showed. Food prices, which account for around 36% of the consumer price index (CPI), surged 3.7% in October despite a record harvest of 8.6 million tonnes of grains expected this year. Transport costs also increased by 10% despite moderation of energy prices on the international market and the government's plan to reintroduce an indexation system on fuel prices, which could lead to a future decline in transport and utility prices. The current CPI levels are still above government expectations of average 2% inflation this year, while the International Monetary Fund is projecting 7.5% growth for the country this year and 3.5% in 2007 on the back of strong farming output. (MAP) http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2006/11/20/newsbrief-02
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Morocco, United States sign co-operation agreement in science and technology fields.
16/11/2006

Moroccan Education Minister Habib El Malki and US Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Environment and Science Claudia A. McMurray signed a co-operation agreement in the field of science and technology on Tuesday (November 14th) in Rabat. The agreement aims at widening bilateral relations and promoting scientific and technological co-operation with other Maghreb countries, particularly Algeria and Tunisia. It envisages exchange of ideas, information, skills and techniques, training of experts, collaboration in scientific and technological projects, and the organisation of seminars and scientific meetings. (Menara)
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2006/11/16/newsbrief-04
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Moroccan professor helps set up women's argan oil co-operatives.
21/11/2006 By Farah Kinani

Moroccan argan tree expert Dr Zoubida Charrouf feels the argan tree is a vital Moroccan resource with many uses. She is trying to combat deforestation of the argan through setting up women's co-operatives to produce oil and raise international recognition of the product. Dr Zoubida Charrouf, a professor at Rabat's Mohamed V University, is trying to help save Morocco's argan tree by increasing recognition of its oil and setting up women's co-operatives to plant more trees and cultivate oil.

She first became interested in the argan tree while in France. She explains, "At the end of the 19th century, a French writer who had studied the argan nut said the tree contained an active principle. Between then and the start of my research, no one had tried to investigate this principle." She became more passionate about the argan as she discovered more molecular substances unique to it. Charrouf received a doctorate studying argan trees and became one of the first people to campaign to save it. She believes all parts of the tree can be used to provide a source of income or food for those who exploit them.

"As well as an environmental role, the argan tree plays an important socio-economic role," she told Magharebia. Charrouf spent 15 years setting up the first-ever argan oil processing co-operatives in villages of Tamanar and Tidzi. She was motivated to "value women's expertise and protect argan oil, which has always been undervalued and sold at roadsides despite its nutritional, pharmaceutical, therapeutic, cosmetic and environmental benefits".

"Women have always produced argan oil. There were jobs for men in the co-operative, but the women had decided to recruit only women because mixing of the sexes is frowned on in these parts of Morocco," she noted. "When I announced I was planning to set up the first co-operative, the men weren't too happy about their wives going out. When the women began bringing home money, men started coming to me on their wives' behalf," Charrouf recalls. She currently works with the Moroccan government to support the involvement of women in rural and sustained development.

"An agreement has been signed between the High Commission for Water and Forests and the Targanine co-operatives on argan replanting and developing argan tree cultivation through forest re-spacing," she noted. Charrouf's other main activity is campaigning for better management of argan products and increased recognition of argan oil. "I would like to see argan oil given the status of Appellation d'Origine Contrôlé (AOC) … We meet all the requirements for being an AOC … If it can be achieved, only oil produced in the region according to the proper criteria can be called argan. This will contribute to the development of the region and the conservation of the argan forest," she stated.

While some people worry argan oil's growing popularity could lead to overexploitation, Charrouf counters that the experiences of other countries show reforestation rises with product demand. "It's the financial value of a tree that motivates people to replant it … Our national output is 4,000 tonnes per year. We'd need 400 co-operatives to produce this amount, and we're not there yet," she pointed out.

In Morocco the argan is known as the "tree of life" because of its many beneficial properties. The argan forest provides a living for around 3 million people, including 2.2 million in rural areas. "It provides stability for the rural population and is thus slowing down the rural exodus," Charrouf explained. Morocco is witnessing a reduction in the area and density of its argan forest. Since the beginning of last century, its area has been reduced from 1,400,000 hectares to 828,000 hectares. The density has fallen from 100 trees to 30 trees per hectare, with Charrouf estimating that 600 hectares are lost every year.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2006/11/21/feature-01
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Here from Morocco: Newspaper welcomes fellow learning about media in the U.S.
By CHRIS DETTRO STAFF WRITER Published Thursday, November 23, 2006

Living in Morocco, Mounia Lahlou knew the basic story of Abraham Lincoln. Backwoods boy grows up to be president, leads country during Civil War, is shot and dies. But after living in Springfield as a participant in a media fellowship program for almost a month, she knows a whole lot more. Living downtown in proximity to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, Lincoln's Home and other historic sites wears off on you. "I was impressed by Lincoln's presence," she said. "Everywhere I go, I find either his statues, his pictures or his name is printed on something."………………..
Read more here: http://www.sj-r.com/sections/news/stories/101302.asp#
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Special Rapporteur on Right to Education to visit Morocco from 27 November to 5 December 2006.
***Learn more about this topic in HREA's study guide on the human right to education: http://www.hrea.org/learn/guides/right-to-education.html UNITED NATIONS Press release 24 November 2006

Vernor Muñoz, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on the right to education, will visit Morocco at the invitation of the Government from 27 November to 5 December 2006. During this visit, the Special Rapporteur will consider how Morocco endeavours to implement the right to education, the measures taken for its successful realization and the obstacles encountered, both at the national and international levels.

The Special Rapporteur will focus on issues related not only to access to education but also to the quality of education, in particular for girls,
economically and socially disadvantaged children and children with disabilities. He will address particular education challenges in Morocco,
such as, inter alia, the rapid urbanization process and its impact on the family structure and the education of children, the impact of child labour
and the phenomenon of street children, and will review the ongoing ambitious Moroccan education reform and implementation of the National
Charter for Education and Training.

The Special Rapporteur will meet with Government officials and with civil society representatives, including non-governmental organizations,
education professionals, academics, students, parents and members of the media. The Special Rapporteur will also have the opportunity to visit
schools. He will be travelling to Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech and theirs suburbs. The Special Rapporteur will present a report on his mission to the Council on Human Rights at its forthcoming 2007 session (March 2007).

The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert appointed by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to help States, and others, promote and protect the right to education. For further information on the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and copies of available reports, please consult the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
( http://www.unhchr.ch/ ). http://www.hrea.org/lists/display.php?headline_id=4768&language_id=1
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Morocco economy grows, welfare not .
afrol News, 20 November

Moroccans should be happy to note that economic growth this year will be very strong compared to poor results last year. However, Morocco being considered an emerging economy, living standards are developing very slowly. The Kingdom is still the poorest in North Africa and citizens see little to growth. According to an economic analysis of developments in Morocco made in the journal 'IMF Survey' - published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - the Kingdom is currently experiencing its strongest growth in years. Real GDP is projected to grow by an impressing 7.3 percent this year, by far outweighing Morocco's low population growth rate set at around 1.6 percent. Last year, the economy only grew by 1.6 percent, according to Moroccan authorities and IMF staff estimates.

"A bumper wheat crop and strong activity in services and construction are ushering in a recovery, following a slowdown in growth caused by bad weather in 2005. Inflation remains low," the IMF says. "Macroeconomic conditions continue to strengthen and the 2006 outlook is favourable," the Fund further optimistically notes. Despite the impressing 2006 growth rate, the IMF indicates average Moroccans will have little reason for joy. "Morocco has started to reap the benefits of its reform efforts, but raising living standards to the level observed in other emerging economies still constitutes a challenge," the IMF analysis says, without giving further details.

More details are however found in the UN's recently released Human Development Index (HDI) for 2006, where Morocco only ranks 123rd out of 177 countries. All other North African countries have a far higher "human development", which includes factors such as health, education and purchase power among citizens. While Morocco scores well on the HDI's life expectancy at birth - set at 70 years - other indicators are very poor, on line with sub-Saharan Africa. Per capita purchase power is only at US$ 4,300, adult literacy at a little over 50 percent and the school enrolment rate at only 58 percent. Around 20 percent of Moroccans do not even have access to safe drinking water, the UN report reveals. Great gender gaps in education make the situation worse.

Despite this welfare problem and the failure to raise living standards, the IMF and Moroccan authorities have agreed on not putting emphasis on further social spending. Indeed, state subsidies on food and petrol are to be strongly reduced and Rabat authorities had agreed to start "curbing wage bill growth through an early retirement scheme." Taxes, on the other hand, were to be raised.

"Fiscal consolidation should be the top policy priority," the IMF analysts held, and they welcomed "ongoing efforts to broaden the tax base and increase revenue, and supported the possible transition to a flexible exchange rate regime." According to the IMF, Moroccan authorities had agreed that the most pressing problem was not the country's low living standards, but "to reduce the fiscal deficit to 3 percent of GDP and the public debt-to-GDP ratio below 60 percent by 2009."

The fiscal deficit, the Fund held, was likely to be close to the 2006 budget target of 4.1 percent of GDP - down from 5.9 percent in 2005 - "because of expenditure pressures related to oil and food subsidies." Rabat authorities planned to "continue to gradually align domestic petroleum prices with international prices and to reduce the fiscal cost of food subsidies by better targeting them to the most vulnerable groups."

All in all, this was to secure "increased employment and reduce poverty," the IMF analysis held. The IMF staff made no mention of the need for more spending on education and health, in contrast to UN priority indications for Morocco, when it came to raise welfare among citizens.
By staff writer http://www.afrol.com/articles/22793
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Study finds child abuse widespread and hidden in Morocco.
09/11/2006

A UNICEF/Justice Ministry study finds that violence against children permeates all parts of Moroccan society. Morocco is tackling the problems through creating national programmes and child protections units. Maie Ayoub Von Khol, UNICEF's representative in Morocco, says a study by her group produced in partnership with the Justice Ministry finds that violence appears to be an educational method and a socially acceptable means of control for lower- and middle-class children and household servants in Morocco. Violence is perpetrated by the family, police, schools, people on the street, employers, and charitable institutions. The data show that the youngest children appear to be the main victims.

Acts of violence are most often committed by men, with women responsible for 10% to 15% of cases. Women commit physical violence and child trafficking, but rarely sexual violence. Domestic violence was found to generally only be reported when physical abuse is evident in the case of an abandoned child. Sexual and physical abuse committed within the home and acts committed by employers, teachers and officials are rarely reported. The report found that children rebel against violence only when it becomes torture, but rarely report it.

Moreover, children who are victims of sexual assault, particularly incest, tend to keep quiet because they feel ashamed and disgraced. Children themselves consider slaps and thrashings "normal" and "deserved". Child abuse is rarely punished. "Victims do not know where to turn to have these practices stopped. Badly-treated children do not know, in fact, who to talk to or how to do it," explained Von Khol. Children generally do not know about the toll-free numbers, counselling and guidance centres and medical treatment available to them.

However, the study shows Moroccan children aspire to the benefits of a protective environment. A 2006-2015 national plan has been launched by Yasmina Baddou, secretary of state for family, children and the handicapped. "A Morocco Worthy of its Children" aims to protect children from all forms of abuse and promote their rights to health and education. Baddou stressed that her department is keen to offer children an ideal and safe environment.

Several measures have already been implemented to protect those most exposed to violence: street children, domestic servants and children in the workplace. Child protection units are being created in Casablanca, Tangiers, Fez, Marrakech, Agadir, and Laayoune. The units will co-ordinate the work of all local agencies, monitor child abuse and offer counselling, legal and psychological guidance as well as support and promotion of children's rights. The first unit will become operational in Casablanca over the next several weeks.

Other national programmes to protect children have been started, such as "Inqad", which aims to end the exploitation of children in domestic service. The finishing touches are being put to a national awareness-raising campaign on the issue. The national "Indimage" programme is looking at street children. It hopes to find a nationwide approach to fighting the phenomenon through prevention and treatment. "Violence towards children is a real challenge for everyone involved. We shall be able to realise our hopes thanks to the work being started up throughout Morocco," says Baddou.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2006/11/09/feature-01
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Morocco in need of better and cheaper treatment for breast cancer.
02/11/2006

Breast cancer is a growing problem in Morocco due to a lack of awareness and early detection of the disease. The problem is compounded by insurance companies not wanting to pay for detection measures, limited public treatment facilities and the high cost of private care. Nearly 10% of Moroccan women are afflicted with breast cancer, according to the National Oncology Institute (INO). Doctor Rajae Aghzadi, president of the Association Against Cancer, says 10,000 to 12,000 new cases are detected every year. The majority of those with the disease are aged 45 to 55, but patients are getting younger, Aghzadi told Magharebia.

Doctor Jalil Abdelouahed, head of the oncology surgery department at the INO, feels the social impact of breast cancer is enormous. "The disease is growing in Morocco because of a lack of awareness," he told Magharebia. He says some people do not even know the disease exists.

Doctors say present infrastructure is no longer sufficient. The only two public cancer centres in Morocco are the INO in Rabat and the Ibn Rochd oncology centre in Casablanca. Most Moroccans have little or no access to care. The INO staff in Rabat is inundated everyday with patients from all over Morocco. Hospital infrastructure is especially lacking in rural areas, where poor women find it difficult to receive care.

Because of high demand, three private oncology centres have opened over the past ten years. Patients are spared long waits for treatment, but pay a high price. Doctor Abdellatif Benider says the average cost of breast cancer treatment in Morocco ranges from 40,000 dirhams to 50,000 dirhams, an amount beyond the means of many patients.

Housewife Hayat Boufaracha learned of her breast cancer six months ago. "I was stunned at the news. How could I go to Rabat for chemotherapy when I live in Taza? You have to wait a long time to be treated in the public hospital and at private hospitals, I was being asked for 45,000 dirhams, which I do not have," she says. She has had to depend on the generosity of others for treatment.

Lack of funds cause many patients to only have one chemotherapy session per week instead of the prescribed two or three sessions. The practice is most common outside the Rabat-Casablanca corridor. Insurance payouts are also a major problem. Benider states insurance companies require the disease to be present before paying. "A 45-year-old woman having a mammogram as part of breast cancer detection must pay 800 dirhams. If she's lucky enough not to be ill, she will not be reimbursed," he points out.

Early breast cancer detection costs three times to four times less than late diagnoses. Treatment has a 100% success rate if the tumour is less than two centimetres, says Doctor Rajae Aghzadi, a breast cancer specialist. "All you need to do is see a doctor immediately to avoid the catastrophe of advanced cancer. Moroccan women don't seem to be aware of the urgency of early detection or informed about current care options, even if they know how serious the disease is," she indicates. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2006/11/02/feature-01
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Morocco risk: Infrastructure risk
(RiskWire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) COUNTRY BRIEFING FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT

Infrastructure risk in Morocco is high. Although roads are generally adequate, congestion is becoming a concern, and new roads are not being built as fast as needed. Ports, especially at Casablanca, are busy, but upgrading is under way. In 2003 dredging and construction work began on the Tangiers-Med deep-water port at Oued R'Mel on the Mediterranean coast near the Strait of Gibraltar. The Dh11bn port will be the second-largest in Morocco after Casablanca. Airport service is barely adequate for commercial purposes, and the railways are well below western standards. Telecommunications infrastructure has been improving, and is generally adequate in major cities. Overall, however, telephone penetration rates are low and Internet and computer take-up is lagging. Power supply is also erratic. The government's infrastructural priority is housing; it believes that urban deprivation contributed to the Casablanca bombings in May (although bureaucratic inertia means that actual investment has lagged).

SCENARIOS

The road network impedes distribution between major cities (Moderate Risk)

Although Morocco's road network is generally good, congestion is a growing concern in a number of places. The country has around 57,000 km of roads, of which about 32,000 km are surfaced. There are currently only 480 km of motorway (from Casablanca to Tangier and from Rabat to Fes), but the government plans to increase this to 1,400 km by 2010, with extensions from Casablanca to Agadir via Marrakesh (already under construction) and from Fes to Oujda on the Algerian border. Short links from Casablanca to El Jadida and from Tangiers to the new deep-water port of Tangiers-Med are also planned. Work is also under way, in sections, on La rocade mediterranee, a 550-km coastal highway linking Tangiers to the Algerian border, designed to break the isolation of the underdeveloped north. Morocco also has a programme under way to upgrade the rest of the road network by widening and surfacing. The rural road network is being extended by 1,500 km a year; currently only 50% of the rural population is served by roads that are usable all year round. Many roads, especially those passing through tourist areas, are dangerous, with frequent traffic accidents and fatalities. Be prepared for delays in the road-building programme, and for a slowdown in future construction and maintenance, because of ongoing budgetary pressures in the government.

Outdated ports and railways create delays in domestic and international trade (Moderate Risk)

Both ports and railways are now being targeted for significant upgrades, with large sums due to be spent on railways, airports and the Tangiers-Med deep-water port during the next few years. A high-speed train service between Casablanca and Marrakesh is being built and should begin operations by 2010. Several major new roads are also under construction. However, as with all infrastructure, businesses should not expect rapid progress on development and expansion plans as long as fiscal pressures persist. Capital investment is the first item to be cut once fiscal pressures bite.

BACKGROUND (Updated: May 26th, 2006)

Natural Resources and the Environment

Morocco covers 458,730 sq km and Western Sahara a further 252,120 sq km. There are two mountain chains: the Rif in the north and the Atlas in the centre. To the north and west of the Atlas a coastal plain extends to the Atlantic. With its warm climate and fertile soils, this region is the most suitable for agriculture and the most densely populated. To the south and east of the Atlas, bordering the Sahara desert, the land is mostly arid. There are rich fishing grounds off the Atlantic coast, especially off Western Sahara.

Agriculture depends on the annual rainy season, which lasts from November to March. The frequency of drought has increased, with below-average rainfall now occurring every other year on average, compared with once every five years during the 1980s.

Water supplies

Annual water availability is currently around 18bn cu metres, of which 2.1bn cu metres is designated for drinking water and industrial needs, with the remainder used for irrigation. Water storage capacity in dams is scheduled to be increased to 40bn cu metres by 2020 through an extensive dam-building programme, begun in the 1960s, that calls for the building of two dams a year. Demand for water is expanding by an estimated 6% annually, and prices are being raised in a bid to rationalise water use, particularly for agriculture. The authorities have introduced a programme to upgrade the irrigation system; a World Bank report has warned that the country will face a water shortage unless improved water-management techniques are introduced.

Pollution

Pollution, particularly from the phosphate industry, is a growing problem and the government is working to establish a regulatory framework that will curb the damage. Moroccos beaches and waterways are the hardest hit; a survey in 2000 found that 21% of beaches are polluted while 50% are of only medium quality. The effluent from coastal chemical complexes is largely to blame.

The World Bank has recommended that a comprehensive environmental policy be drawn up, linked to water use, pollution and agricultural development. The volume of wastewater produced in urban areas is expected to more than double from 410m cu metres in 1990 to 900m cu metres in 2020. Increasingly, the management of water, wastewater and power systems is being contracted out to foreign companies. Environmental schemes are often funded by concessionary loans from sources such as the Japanese and German governments, the European Investment Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB). The World Bank and Islamic Development Bank have also both recently extended loans to the government to address water sanitation problems.

Transport, Communications and the Internet

Funding for infrastructure development has traditionally been met through concessional loans and grants, but the Moroccan government is increasingly encouraging private participation. Favoured mechanisms for attracting private capital are build-operate-transfer terms or long-term operating concessions.

Roads

Morocco has around 57,000 km of roads, of which about 32,000 km are surfaced. There are currently only 530 km of motorway (from Casablanca north to Asilah and from Rabat east to Fes), but the government plans to increase this to 1,500 km by 2010. The motorways will be run as toll-road concessions. Work on motorways from Casablanca to Marrakesh (150 km), and Marrakesh to Agadir (240 km) is under way. The Marrakesh-Agadir road is expected to be operational by late 2009, at an estimated cost of Dh6.2bn(US$670m). Also under construction are shorter links from Casablanca to ElJadida, Asilah to Tangiers, Tangiers to Tetouan and Tangiers to the new deep-water port of Tangiers-Med. Contracts to build a 320-km motorway from Fes to Oujda on the Algerian border are to be awarded in late 2006. Work is also under way, in sections, on La rocade mediterranee, a 550-km coastal highway linking Tangiers to the Algerian border, designed to break the isolation of the underdeveloped north. Funding for road building has come primarily from loans from bilateral and multilateral donors.

Morocco also has an ongoing programme to upgrade the rest of the road network by widening and surfacing. The rural road network is being extended by 1,500 km a year; currently only 50% of the rural population is served by roads that are usable all year round.

Railways

Rail passenger traffic has been growing modestly in recent years, but freight traffic (over 75% of it phosphates) has stagnated. Only half of the 1,907-km rail network is electrified and much-needed modernisation and extension has been painfully slow. In 2002 the government provided the state railway company, Office national des chemins de fer (ONCF), with Dh1.95bn to cover debts of Dh1.3bn and stabilise its finances, while ONCF agreed to invest Dh6.5bn to upgrade the system in 2002-05. Progress should be faster in 2005-09 as ONCF plans to invest Dh17bn to modernise 400 km of electrified line; build rail links from Tangiers to the Tangier-Med deep-water port and from Taourit to Nador; and construct a high-speed line between Casablanca and Agadir via Marrakesh. New rolling stock will include 18 double-decker trains, 20 locomotives and 300 carriages. ONCF is being transformed into a limited company and divided into two arms, one to manage the infrastructure and the other to run services. This could be a step towards privatising the company. The government has already liberalised rail tariffs, allowing ONCF to compete more aggressively with road transport.

In 2003 Morocco and Spain reached an agreement to build a double-track railway tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar, the first direct rail link between Europe and Africa. The two governments will spend 27m (US$34m) in 2004-06 on seismic and other geological studies to identify the best route. Construction is expected to start in 2008 and will cost some 3bn (US$3.7bn). Financial support will be sought from the EU.

Ports

Casablanca handles almost half of all shipping traffic; it is the leading container port and along with nearby Mohammedia handles most of the hydrocarbons trade, whereas most phosphate rock exports are shipped from Casablanca, Jorf Lasfar and Safi. The Office dexploitation des ports completed a US$220m expansion and modernisation programme in 2002. In 2003 work began on the Tangiers-Med deep-water port at Oued RMel on the Mediterranean coast near the Strait of Gibraltar. The Dh11bn port is due for completion in 2007 and will be the second biggest in Morocco after Casablanca. Concessions to equip and run container terminals at the port are being awarded and plans to develop the associated industrial and commercial free-trade zones are under way. The Tangiers-Med Special Agency (TMSA), the government body that manages the Tangiers-Med port, granted the concession licence to equip and run the first and second container terminals to two different international consortia in 2005. The winners agreed to commit a total investment of 270m by 2010 and 400m during the 30-year concession period. The port is seen as an industrial development hub for the Tangiers-Tetouan Special Development Zone and is expected to attract investment into the relatively undeveloped northern region of Morocco. The government is responsible for funding the basic port works, as well as for transport connections and utilities, with the rest to be funded by the private sector.

Air services

Morocco has 12 airports. The state airport authority, Office national des aeroports (ONDA), is planning to enlarge capacity to meet the forecast growth in passenger numbers to 27m in 2020. The work will cost some Dh3.3bn in 2005-08. The biggest single development is the Dh885m extension of Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca (which has 50% of all passenger traffic and 85% of freight) to double capacity to 8m passengers by 2008. Most of the funding for this work has come from the AfDB. Other airport terminals are being extended at Tangiers, Al Hoceima, Essaouira, Errachidia and Dakhla, and runways are being lengthened at Marrakesh (the second-busiest airport), Tangiers and Al Hoceima. A priority of ONDA is to support the governments goal to increase tourist numbers to 10m by 2010. Morocco has received a grant from the US to fund a study of the feasibility of privatising the countrys airports.

The national flag carrier, Royal Air Maroc (RAM), was in financial difficulties even before the September 2001 attacks on the US because of overstaffing, rising jet fuel costs, the strong US dollar and interest payments on loans to buy new aircraft. Business stagnated and insurance premiums rose following the 2001 attacks on the US, the US-led invasion of Iraq and the bombings in Casablanca in May 2003. As a result, the company introduced an efficiency programme to shed staff and non-core activities and returned to financial health in 2003/04 with a 65% rise in net profits to Dh250m (US$28m). RAM operates 900 flights a week with 33 aircraft serving 40 countries. The airline has a fleet renewal programme that involves buying 22-24 new aircraft in 2002-12; most are expected to be Boeings. RAM is also extending its interests in the hotel business. RAMs improving fortunes may lead the government to revive plans to dispose of up to 40% of the firm either by sale to a strategic investor or by flotation on the stockmarket.

The government is hoping that expanding aviation capacity and increasing competition in the airline industry will help develop the countrys tourism potential. The market in air transport was liberalised in February 2004, and most restrictions on foreign airlines flying to Morocco were lifted. In December 2005 Morocco took a big step towards further liberalisation of its air transport sector with the signing of an open skies deal with the EU, giving reciprocal access rights in these aviation markets, the first non-European country to do so. The government forecasts that by 2010 61% of the scheduled-flight market will be held by RAM, 38% by foreign carriers and 1% by private Moroccan operators. Of the charter market, 30% will be held by Atlas Blue, a new Marrakesh-based low-cost airline owned by RAM, 20% by private Moroccan operators and 50% by foreign charter airlines.

Telecommunications

The telecommunications sector is being opened to competition and is expanding rapidly with new services and new platforms, such as fixed satellite very small aperture terminal (VSAT) digital data transmission. The authorities hope that the sector will lift GDP growth and create jobs throughout the economy, including in Internet-based businesses and service firms. Growth potential is good: the penetration rate for mobile phones is still moderate (at 33 subscribers for every 100 people in 2005) and for fixed lines is low (4.5 for every 100 people); the middle class and business communities, though still small, are growing; and the regulatory regime is light but effective. The regulator, Agence nationale de regulation des telecommunications (ANRT), has overseen the liberalisation of the sector, and its independence from government has given confidence to foreign investors.

Liberalisation began with the sale of a 35% stake in the state telecoms firm, Maroc Telecom (MT), to Vivendi Universal (France) for Dh23.3bn in December2000. The government disposed of a further 30.9% of MT stock in November 2004: 16% (for Dh12.4bn) by direct sale to Vivendi (giving it a controlling stake of 51%) and 14.9% (for Dh9bn) by stockmarket flotation in Casablanca and Paris. The Moroccan state will hold its remaining 34.1% at least until 2007.

MT had a monopoly in the sector until 1999. Competition was introduced into the mobile-phone market that year with the sale for Dh10.8bn of a second mobile-phone concession to Meditelecom (Meditel), a joint venture led by Telefonica (Spain) and Portugal Telecom. Since then, the mobile-phone market has been stimulated by competition between MT and Meditel, which has driven down prices and increased the range of services. MT had around 6.7mmobile-phone subscribers at the end of 2005 and Meditel around 3.3m. Two licences to operate third-generation (3G) mobile-phone services (allowing high-speed data transfer) are expected to be awarded in 2006.

MTs fixed-line monopoly was broken in 2005, when licences were awarded to Meditel (to run a local loop, a long-distance service and an international service) and a local firm, Maroc Connect (to run a number of local loops). The fixed-line market contracted in 2000 and 2001 as customers moved over to mobile phones but is now expanding, driven by growing interest in the Internet, broadband, cable television and data services. The introduction of competition in the fixed sector will also encourage expansion. MT had 1.4m fixed-line customers at end-2005.

Internet

Morocco had only 300,000 Internet subscribers at end-2005, but the number of Internet users was estimated by the government at 3m at the start of that year (a figure much higher than the 800,000 estimated by the UN Conference on Trade and Development). Most connections occur in Internet cafes as most Moroccans cannot afford personal computers. In late 1999 ANRT introduced reforms that improved the speed of access in Morocco, providing more Internet bandwidth to potential service providers and the number of ISPs was in double figures by 2002. The entry of foreign competition, including the Internet services arm of France Telecom, Wanadoo, in early 2000, forced MT to cut its monthly subscription rates and abolish connection fees. MT launched an asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) service in October 2003. The high-capacity service is available in the 13 largest cities, and will allow users to access a wider range of web services more easily. There is currently no specific regulation of the Internet in Morocco, although the authorities have occasionally tried to block access temporarily to websites publishing material that it considers out of bounds. Even websites close to the Polisario Front (containing information that cannot be found in the national press) are accessible. However, under pressure from the conservative and Islamist parties, the government is planning to pass laws to block access to pornographic sites (the Moroccan penal code prohibits pornography).

Media

A range of newspapers and current affairs journals are printed in Arabic and French. Most are affiliated to political parties or support the official palace line, but in recent years a number of more outspoken newspapers have appeared. The pro-government dailies include Al Anbaa, Maroc Soir and Le Matin du Sahara. AlAlam and lOpinion back the Parti Istiqlal, while Al Bayane supports the Union socialiste des forces populaires (USFP). Among the new brand of lively, anti-establishment publications are a best-selling French-language paper, Le Nouveau Journal, its Arabic-language version, Assahifa, and two French-language weeklies, TelQuel and Demain (although the latter is currently banned). Two useful business publications are the daily LEconomiste and the weekly La Vie Economique.

Several well-established French and Arabic publications take a sharply critical line against the establishment and devote extensive coverage to past human rights abuses and corruption. Nevertheless, the authorities regularly use criminal prosecutions, censorship and harassment to control press coverage of three highly sensitive topics: the monarchy, Islam and Western Sahara. Under Moroccan law, an insult to the royal family, Islam or the territorial integrity of Morocco is punishable by a jail sentence of three to five years and a fineofDh10,000-100,000 (US$1,100-11,000). Anti-establishment publications occasionally try to push back the boundaries of what is considered acceptable. For example, in 2003, Ali Lmrabet served seven months in jail after one of the publications he edits, Demain, carried satirical cartoons and photo-montages that insulted the person of the king, and in 2005 he was fined Dh50,000 and banned from journalism for ten years after being sued over an article on Western Sahara. The editor of Al Ousbouaaya al-Jadida went on trial in mid-2005 after publishing an interview with a prominent Islamist, Nadia Yassine, that called for a republic. (The trial has been postponed.) Nevertheless, there are signs of a relaxation of the restrictions on the media, including the reporting on local television of human rights reports critical of the government, and the televising of public hearings of the Justice and Reconciliation Commission. The government has also announced that the law will be revised to abolish jail sentences for transgressions.

A 2003 law lifted the government monopoly over all radio and television transmissions. The state runs two television channels--TVM and 2M--and nine regional radio stations. In 2004 the cabinet approved a draft law to transform them into limited companies open to private investors, and to establish an independent body to regulate the sector and award licences. The national press agency, Maghreb Arab Press, will also be partly privatised.

Energy

Few proven reserves

Morocco imports over 90% of the energy it consumes; energy equivalent to 12m tonnes of oil was imported in 2004 at a cost of Dh26.1bn (US$2.9bn). The countrys own energy resources are limited to modest amounts of hydroelectric, wind and solar power; coal reserves that are close to depletion and negligible proven reserves of oil and gas; firewood is widely used in rural areas. A reported oil strike in the Haut Plateau region of the north-east in early 2000 raised hopes that Morocco might be able to meet its own oil needs, or even become an oil exporter, but subsequent tests on the discovery have proved disappointing. There remains the possibility, however, that oil and gas remain to be discovered onshore or offshore.

Electricity generation will shift to the private sector

Electricity supply grew by 7% to 18bn kwh in 2004 and demand by 8% to 15.7bnkwh. Over 80% of supply is generated thermally from imported coal and oil; around 4.8m tonnes of coal and 574,000 tonnes of fuel oil were used for this purpose in 2004. Some 5-9% of electricity is generated by hydroelectric power stations; the amount varies according to rainfall and reached 1.6bn kwh (8.9% of total supply) in 2004. A further 1% comes from wind power (200mkwh in 2004), although this is set to increase. Solar energy is being used in some villages where a connection to the national power grid is not economically feasible. The balance of electricity supply is imported from Spain; imports reached 1.5bn kwh in 2004.

With demand rising, the government has turned to the private sector to provide the necessary extra supply. The states share of electricity supply has fallen to around 35% as private power stations have come on stream and the sector has been linked to foreign grids. The first private power plant was Jorf Lasfar; a US-Swiss consortium took over two existing 330-mw units in 1997 and had added two 348-mw units by 2001. In 2005 a 284m (US$352m) 387-mw combined-cycle plant using gas from the Euro-Maghreb pipeline that runs from Algeria to Spain was brought on stream at Tahaddart near Asilah by a consortium comprising Siemens of Germany (20%), Endesa of Spain (32%) and Moroccos state-owned Office national de lelectricite (ONE; 48%). Moroccos total installed capacity at end-2005 was 4,848 mw, compared with 4,621 mw in 2004. ONE also has a 463-mw pumped-storage (energy transfer) plant at Afourer in central Morocco, inaugurated in 2005.

Supply capacity is set to rise further. The link to Spain, opened in 1998, is being doubled to 1,400 mw by end-2006. An 800-mw plant is planned at Al Wahda in the north, using Algerian gas, and several small plants are under construction to serve the phosphoric acid and oil-refining industries. The government is building a 140-mw wind farm costing 160m in the Tangiers region with European funding. Several solar-power schemes are under way; ONE plans to provide 227,000 rural homes in 4,500 remote villages with solar power by end-2006. Nuclear power is also on the medium- to long-term agenda.

ONE invested Dh4.2bn in the electricity infrastructure in 2004 and Dh4.8bn in 2005, and has a Dh39bn investment programme for 2006-12. The rural electrification programme, launched in co-operation with local councils and residents (who pay part of the connection cost), has made great progress. In 2005 another 220,000 households were connected, lifting the proportion of connected rural households to 81%.

Electricity distribution remains in the hands of ONE. Prices, still high by regional standards, are slowly falling. In late 2005 ONE submitted plans to re-organise the market into two segments, one regulated according to ONEs tariff, the other allowing commercial customers to buy their electricity directly from private or overseas suppliers, which should bring prices down further.

Euro-Maghreb gas pipeline

Morocco currently produces a mere 50m cu metres/year of natural gas and hopes of significant gas strikes remain unfulfilled. Morocco also has access to 600mcu metres/y of Algerian natural gas in lieu of transit fees from the Euro-Maghreb gas pipeline. Morocco plans to increase consumption of natural gas to over 5bn cu metres/y by 2020, equivalent to 25% of the countrys energy needs. Morocco could increase its imports of Algerian gas but is unlikely to want to become over-dependent upon this source because of its fraught political relationship with its eastern neighbour. Instead, Morocco plans to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) through a network of LNG terminals, built and run by local and international private investors. Each terminal would cost over US$500m and Morocco would need several of them to meet the 2020target.
Copyright 2006 Economist Intelligence Unit http://voipforsmb.tmcnet.com/news/2006/11/15/128820.htm
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