Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
January 27 , 2007

Renewable energies to contribute 10% to energy balance by 2012, Minister.
Ifrane, Dec. 23

Renewable energies are expected to contribute 10% to the national energy balance by 2012, against 4% today, said, here on Friday, Minister of Energy and Mines, Mohamed Boutaleb. Speaking at a study day held in the mountain town of Ifrane (200 km east of Rabat), the minister said the solar energy chips in with 8% to the achievement of the global rural electrification program (PERG), asserting that the diversification of energy sources and the development of renewable energies are among the priorities of Morocco's energetic strategy.

The minister underlined that the National Plan in this field includes new projects to produce electricity from solar and wind energies. The Plan aims to provide services of sustainable energy in the rural world, equip 150,000 houses, construct 1,000 energy houses, and efficiently manage energy consumption by the industrial sector.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/renewable_energies_t/view
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Morocco on a Slow March to Literacy. Abderrahim El Ouali

CASABLANCA, Jan 24 (IPS)

Morocco's "march towards light" as its literacy programme is called is brightening up as official figures go, but with far too many shady areas still.
Two years after the launch of the programme intended to eradicate illiteracy by 2015 in line with the Millennium Development Goals, officials claim that illiteracy has diminished to 38 percent of the population of 30 million, from 80 percent in 1960 and 48 percent in 1999.

The "march towards light", the "massiarat al nour" in Arabic, aims to take literacy to a million illiterate people every year. The state aims to reach 570,000 of these, non-governmental organisations another 269,000 and public sector companies 146,000. Private sector companies aim to reach about 15,000 a year. Impressive numbers, but Abdessamad Hassad, a researcher studying the impact of literacy on democracy and development says the programme is "poor in content and means." "What is being shown as a policy to eradicate illiteracy is only really speeches for internal and external consumption," he told IPS.

Hassad points to indicators other than the official figures. About 700 newspapers and magazines in Morocco have between them a readership of only 300,000, he says. This indicator is contentious, too. Sixty-eight-year-old Hajja Fatima is now literate thanks to the "massiarat al nour" programme, but she just does not like newspapers."I can read and write now," she told IPS. "This has helped me understand the news on radio and tv. But I do not like newspapers. Politicians do not care about what we say, so I do not care about what they say in newspapers."

Not everyone has Hajja's choice. While the figures show 38 percent illiteracy in the population, they point to 68 percent illiteracy among voters - indicating far greater illiteracy among older people. "Illiteracy is a big hindrance in democracy and development," Hassad says. "If more than two-thirds of the electorate is illiterate, they are not able to distinguish between the different political parties' programmes," he said. "So voters become easy to trick and corrupt. This leads to false elections, false results and false representative institutions."

The illiteracy is leading to a split between these people and the elite, Hassad said. "Twelve million Moroccans are illiterate. This means they have no access to what the elite produces. Communication between these people and the political elite is limited to electoral campaigns." But the political elite are not all literate either. Moroccan law requires that members of parliament and municipality leaders must have at least a primary school certificate. After the last elections in 2002 and 2003, many such certificates presented by winning candidates were found to have been forged.

While such concerns are raised, there is no denying the half full part of the glass û or that it is getting fuller, with or without official support. Abdelkader Faydi, a 34-year-old electrician who had to leave school because his family could not afford the fee, did not wait for any programme; he simply learnt to read Arabic and French on his own. "Now I can read about electricity, and I'm becoming more skilful every day," he said. Much of his technical learning now comes off the Internet. He has used this knowledge to learn to install wire connections for large local electricity networks. "I have extra sources of income now, and that is a good thing," he told IPS. "I will carry on learning. I will never stop."

Hassad says Morocco needs more people like Faydi. "People with such will are rare, but illiteracy must be eradicated, and we should encourage everyone to get involved to fight it," he said.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36283
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Morocco growth could fall below 2.7%.
Reuters

Morocco's economic growth could slow to around 2.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2007 as farm output declines and a weakening global economy cuts demand for its exports, the government said. "The outlook for growth in 2007 augurs an eventual slowdown under the effect of a below-average agricultural campaign and a relatively less dynamic international environment," the state High Planning Commission (HCP) said. Still, it said oil prices could drop from records reached last year and this, coupled with income tax cuts, could improve household incomes and support domestic consumption.

The HCP forecast a strong year for the services sector, led by tourism, transport and telecoms and by air transport, which will see new companies entering the sector after a round of liberalisation. It said the economy grew by an estimated 7.4 per cent in the second half of 2006 but did not give sector-by-sector figures for the period or a number for the fourth quarter. Unemployment was 10 per cent in the first 11 months of 2006, down 0.9 per centage point from the same period a year earlier, the HCP said. Improving tourism receipts and transfers of money from Moroccans living abroad boosted foreign reserves which now covered 11.9 months of imports.

The economy grew 6.5 per cent in the third quarter of 2006 due mostly to a rebound in farm incomes, but non-agricultural growth slowed sharply, the HCP said last month. The government is trying to reduce the economy's dependence on agriculture and nurture traditional industries like tourism and phosphates while pushing into new sectors like IT and back-office outsourcing. According to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, Morocco needs annual economic growth of at least 6 per cent a year to make significant inroads into unemployment and attack poverty.
http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Economy/10099743.html
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Telecommunications penetration rate in Morocco rises to 57.8% in 2006.
26/01/2007

The telecommunication penetration market rate in Morocco has continued to rise, reaching 57.78% for both mobile and land lines in 2006, according to figures disclosed by telecom regulatory authority ANRT. Internet penetration, however, still remains low, reaching only 1.34% of the population in 2006 up from 0.88% in 2005. The development of the telecommunications sector was boosted by the dynamism of the value added market and the multiplication of call centres, which reached 235 by late 2006, ANRT said. In related news, Maroc Telecom announced earlier this week that its sales turnover in 2006 exceeded $1.7 billion -- a record 10.1% rise compared to 2005. (MAP, L'Economiste, Liberation) http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/01/26/newsbrief-07
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Lavender and symbiotic fungi key to Cypress reforestation in Morocco.
Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com   January 20, 2007

Cypress reforestation efforts are unsuccessful without dual cultivation with lavender or mycorrhizal fungi, according to researchers studying replanting programs in Morocco. Cypress has a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi, a micro-fungi that helps the tree's roots uptake water, nitrogen, and phosphorous from the surrounding soil. Further, in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, several species of lavender and thyme are also associated with Cypress. These shrubs appear to enhance soil productivity, which in turn, helps spur growth of Cypress trees.

"Increased understanding of the process of natural regeneration of cypress trees has allowed the application of a new method of replanting of this species in the Moroccan High Atlas," said the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement, an institutions that sponsored the research, in a statement. "In the sites that must be re-wooded, bands of lavender were planted in strips of earth built up perpendicularly to the slope so as to retain water. The cypress saplings were planted the following year. The first results confirm the beneficial role lavender has on these young plantations: their mortality after one year proves to be very low and soil erosion remains limited." The researchers next plan to look at the role of other shrubs in creating optimal growing conditions for other tree species.
http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0120-morocco.html
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FADES funds construction of 1,000 km of rural roads in Morocco.
Rabat, Jan. 22

A total of MAD 450Mn (USD 52.5Mn) was provided as a loan by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (FADES) to build a thousand kilometers of roads in Morocco's rural areas. Aimed to facilitate access for 200.000 rural people, the project is part of Morocco's program of rural roads (PNRR-II). The program includes the building and revamping of 15,000 km between 2005 and 2015, and hence raise from 54% to 80% accessibility rate to rural area. Morocco is second among the countries that benefited from FADES loans. Since 1974, it has received loans amounting to MAD 22.4Bn (about USD 2.6Bn).
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/fades_funds_construc/view
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New legislation, funding to combat Morocco's solid waste problem.
By Sarah Touahri. 19/01/2007

Due to demographic growth, rural migration and urban expansion, Morocco is faced with an ongoing solid waste problem. New legislation and government funding aims to solve the issue. Morocco has allocated $4.3 billion, over a 15-year period, for the implementation of a national solid waste programme, Territory Development, Water and Environment Minister Mohamed El Yazghi said Wednesday (January 17th). The programme envisages launching projects to tackle the waste management problems that have been increased by demographic growth, rural migration and urban expansion.

"This programme is a clear signal from the State to the local authorities, who must put together integrated projects in order to cut back on untreated waste," Yazghi said Wednesday in Rabat. He indicated that the government would redouble its efforts to issue the decrees to enforce the new laws, and that work was under way to establish a national centre for the treatment of hazardous wastes, which will be able to treat up to 120,000 tonnes of industrial and medical wastes annually.

According to government statistics, Morocco produces around 7.5 million tonnes of solid waste per year, of which 6.5 million tonnes are household waste. Nearly 70% of this waste is concentrated in urban areas. Where industrial waste is concerned, Morocco produces around 975,000 tonnes of solid waste per year. Public and private health establishments in Morocco produce around 11,910 tonnes of medical waste per year.

Mohamed Benyahya, head researcher for the Territory Development, Water and Environment ministry, said that solid waste is a gaping sore. Its management, which comes down to area authorities, is not an easy task. Delegating waste collection management is the solution found as part of the public-private partnership. This approach has yielded good results in some towns, but waste management is a problem which still persists according to Benyahya.

Waste recycling can be profitable for private companies. The idea is to be able to work in partnership with the interior minister to organise its collection -- in such a way that towns are fully covered, Benyahya said. It is essential to work at raising awareness among the population and to provide training for the creation of co-operatives for all those collecting refuse in the streets. Dumping waste must be controlled to ensure that there is no contamination of groundwater or nuisance to the neighbourhood. Jamila Bahrajane, a teacher who lives in Temara, dreams of the day when her district will be clean. "Look how dirty the streets are. There’s waste piling up everywhere. But the dustcart comes round every day, so I can’t understand why the situation isn’t changing. "

Just a few months ago, a gaping hole was found in the legislation dealing with the management of solid waste. The law relating to the management and processing of waste, published in the official bulletin on December 7th 2006, was a major event, in that it aimed to handle this problem with rational, effective means. "What matters is that this law sets out measures and interim targets so that all operators can bring themselves up to speed and prepare to implement it," Benyahya said. Residents are already delighted about the adoption of a law which could change their daily lives. Saloua Mazih, a student, says that she dreams of the day when the dumping of waste in public will be controlled and all the towns will be clean.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/01/19/feature-02
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Morocco to plant 27 million trees in 2007.
RABAT, January 16

The Moroccan government is planning to plant 27 million trees across the nation in 2007 within the framework of the campaign "planting for the nation," the government has announced. This initiative is open to individuals and organizations from as diverse backgrounds as the civil society, the private and the public sectors, youth associations, schools, community groupings and municipalities, according to a statement released on Monday by the Moroccan high commission for water, forestry and for the fight against desertification.

The annual reforestation program undertaken by the commission will cover 35,000 hectares and will involve native tree species as well as new ones. The program is hoping to reclaim forest areas, which have been destroyed, by concerted development plans by ensuring a balance between the demand for the exploitation of forest resources and the need to regenerate and reconstitute the forest ecosystem. In order to satisfy the demand for forestry products, the high commission on average produces 40 million tree plants annually in tree nurseries spread across the country's major forestry zones. - xinhuanet
http://news.africast.com/africastv/article.php?newsID=60961
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Vocational training in Morocco aims to meet businesses' needs.
By Sarah Touahri 04/01/2007

Vocational training in Morocco is increasingly adapting to the expectations of businesses -- and young trainees themselves. Morocco's vocational training sector has undergone considerable changes over the last few years. The number of young people with vocational qualifications on the labour market doubled from 2003-2006 to 400,000. In 2006, there were 142,000 young people enrolled in training courses, 2.7 times higher than in 2002-2003.

In order to cope with the rising numbers, "The Office for Vocational Training and the Promotion of Employment (OFPPT) has increased its capacity by setting up 27 new offices, including eight specialising in tourism and four specialised in Information and Communication Technology," Larbi Bencheikh, the chief executive of OFPPT said. He says the specialist skills that the OFPPT is putting onto the market address the real needs of businesses. "At least 60% of trainees find jobs within a few months of leaving OFPPT centres."

The state is also using vocational as a way of encouraging young people to seek employment and become active members of society, Bencheikh said. "We are meeting our targets through partnership with employers and signing contracts with a variety of partners including public authorities, professional associations, social and economic partners and NGOs," he says.

The government is to allocate $600,000 for training expenses for people enrolled in approved centres. "This shows the government is now involved in funding a certain amount of training in specialist technical disciplines which are of prime importance for the national economy," Chakib Tazi, the president of the Moroccan Association of Textile and Clothing Manufacturers, said However, some employers believe there is still a long way to go before all their needs are met. Hotel manager Karim Bouayad says that despite these efforts, training has been and still is being neglected in the tourism sector.

Training chiefs at the Ministry of Tourism agree. "Our department has carried out a quantitative and qualitative study," confirms Mohamed Bouhata, assistant director for training at the Ministry. He says that the study showed up failings in the vocational training system and its lack of relevance to the real needs of employers and the industry.

However, he also believes that credit should be given for the efforts made in recent years to improve vocational training, saying that in addition to the development of businesses' human resources, since 1996-1997 the authorities -- together with industry partners – have been undertaking a wide-ranging reform aimed at encouraging companies to make continuing education a part of their business plans.

These include the creation of multi-sector advisory bodies made up of trade organisations and federations and a second strategy aimed at developing continuing education within the framework of a system of special training contracts. This system is intended to encourage companies to make training an integral part of their business plans by giving financial support to help them develop and implement staff training programmes. Hotel services trainee Laila El Younsi says that her apprenticeship has given her experience of real-life work situations. In her view, "the two key words which best sum up this approach are 'integrate' and 'respond'." http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/01/04/feature-02
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A non-express tour through the Moorish past and present.
by Phil Marty.  Chicago Tribune   16 January 2007 MARRAKECH, Morocco

Morocco sits at the northwest tip of the African continent, stretching within just 9 miles of Europe. But, as our train between Rabat and Marrakech passes a dusty, ancient looking village that seems as if it could crumble in an instant, I think that culturally, the country and Spain, its nearest neighbor on the Continent, might as well be 9,000 miles apart.

Or not.
Step off the ferry in Tangier, Morocco, and you might at first think you’re still in Algeciras, Spain, where the ferry left an hour and a half ago. Though you’ll see a few locals in the port wearing the traditional garb of long, flowing djellaba and perhaps a tight-fitting cap for men and a head covering for women, most are running around in jeans, sweaters or shirts, cell phones pasted to their ears. …………………………..
Read more here: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/news/article/10028/a-non-express-tour-through-the-moorish-past-and-present/
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To Morocco via the magic tagine.
The Cultural Kitchen BY NANCY ANCRUM. nancrum@MiamiHerald.com

My husband gave me a Moroccan tagine for Christmas. Coincidently, I had bought lamb shanks -- a cheap, meaty cut -- the day before. It doesn't get more Moroccan than that……………...
Continue here: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/food/16372088.htm
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BEDUIN & BREAKFAST:  DISCOVER MOROCCO'S HIDDEN JEWELS ON A CAMEL TREK INTO THE SAHARA .
By Catriona Irvine 24 December 2006

THE last time I was on a camel, I went round a car park in Cyprus. The camel, called Gus, was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, not a good look for a dromedary. This time was a little different... I felt like I was in Lawrence of Arabia, riding Said for my trek over the dunes leading me to my overnight bedouin tent in the Sahara. ………………...
More here: http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/tm_headline=beduin---breakfast-&method=full&objectid=18321974&siteid=62484-name_page.html
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Moroccans observe Achoura rituals.
by Imane Belhaj 26/01/2007

Achoura celebrations began last week in Morocco with prayers, games, toys and food abounding throughout the region. Many of the traditions during this maintain the social relationships that distinguish the region's society. Moroccans began celebrating Achoura on January 20th -- the first day of Muharram (the Islamic New Year) -- and will continue through Muharram 10th -- a day when they fast in emulation of the Prophet Mohammed, who fasted on this day out of gratitude for God saving the Prophet Moses.

It is an occasion to pray and distribute alms to the poor and those in need. But Achoura is also tied to games and play, along with banquets special to this occasion. "We can’t forego the kadida, which is a piece of meat from Eid Al-Adha dried in the sun after being seasoned with spices and saved until Achoura, when the housewife makes a kettle containing a specific number of kadida ground together and invites family, neighbours and friends to partake," housewife Zoubida Doukkali says.

Many families also prepare types of dried fruit, almonds and walnuts (Guarguaa’), dates, raisins, dried figs and peanuts and offer them to family on a large dish -- from which all family members and guests at the house that day eat, in a scene of total confusion. "Even if the children go overboard in eating these fruits, we won’t scold them, because that’s a bad omen. Further, that dish must be emptied on this day, leaving nothing behind for tomorrow," Rachida Sebbagh, the mother of three children, said.

Customs differ from one region to the next.
In small towns, young women go out each evening after school in groups and beat rhythms on ta’arija -- small drums or tambourines made of clay and sheepskin. This kindles singing and beating on tambourines on the night of Achoura, or the ninth day of Muharram, which is marked by a final celebration that children excel in -- sha’al. During this ritual, a fire is lit in the neighbourhood square, and young people try to keep it burning long into the evening -- usually using rubber tyres for this purpose. They leap over the blaze in acrobatic movements accompanied by the beat of the ta’arija, accompanied by folk songs women have passed down over the years. According to some, the fire ritual goes back to the time of the Prophet Ibrahim.

In some areas, such as Casablanca and Rabat/Sale, throughout the days of Achoura young people go out to throw water at each other, forming teams, with victory going to whomever gets the most members of the rival team wet. This celebratory atmosphere was extremely limited in the past, when it was confined to friends within a single neighbourhood or neighbouring communities. But today, the young men no longer exempt anyone from their contest and, perhaps, in some cases to agitate young women in particular. "This creates some confrontation," says Mubarak, a shop owner who has watched the development of Achoura celebrations over the years.

Buying toys is another popular activity during Achoura. The Darb Amar market in Casablanca is considered the biggest toy market in the kingdom, selling items retail and wholesale. "Truly, it’s a very favourable opportunity for us to market our goods that lose much of their appeal the rest of the year. And prices, despite their increase, remain within reach of most sectors of society. There are games costing less than 10 dirhams at other times that reach 1,000 dirhams," toy store owner Meiloud said. Moroccans associate Achoura with a mythical character they call Baba Aichour -- considered the Maghreb's Santa Claus. The legend appeared in the songs of young women accompanying their ornamented ta’arija and shouting: "Baba Aichour Aichour. I showed you my feelings."

Giving zakat, or alms, to the poor and children is called "the duty of Baba Aichour".
Some people believe the period of Achoura is an occasion to acquire good fortune and search for happiness. Some young women turn to the shawaafa (seer), who works to reveal their destiny and obstacles that stand in the way of their marriage. Or they resort to a fkih (a psychic) claiming to have knowledge of the supernatural and to reveal to them the magic to which they have been subjected and which requires talismans written with a special type of ink.

"We preserve some of the traditions as part of maintaining the social relationships that distinguish our Moroccan society and that concern preserving family cohesion, the bond of kinship and sowing joy in children’s hearts. But when that faith crosses over into superstitions and magicians, this is unacceptable and must be combated, because it goes against Islamic morals," Doukalli says. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/reportage/2007/01/26/reportage-01
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