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A project funded by IDRC’s Acacia program has been awarded Morocco’s e-Mtiaz 2006 prize (Prix national de l’administration publique numérique), the national award for the best electronic administration services.

Developed by Al Akhawayn University in partnership with the Université Laval, the « e-Fès » project piloted an e-government initiative in collaboration with the local administration of the city of Fès in western Morocco.

Before the project, most government services, such as obtaining a passport or registering to vote, could only be accessed through government offices in the capital, Rabat, or in major cities, such as Casabalanca – both more than 150 kilometres from Fès.

Thanks to e-Fès, the 200 000 residents of the Fès-Agdal region can now access government services through free public digital kiosks, obtaining residency certificates, birth certificates, and marital status certificates. The kiosks are equipped with touch screens that allow people with limited literacy skills – Morocco’s literacy rate is 52% – to use them.

Through the Official portal of the city of Fès, also set up by e-Fès and currently offered in French and Arabic, people can access information about the city, its services, and its staff and representatives from anywhere in the world.

The project’s success has made it a roadmap for rolling out local e-government in other Moroccan municipalities. Plans are already underway to implement e-government in the provinces of Larache, El Hajeb, and Ifrane.

For more information

2006-09

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