Morocco gives strong regional performance for internet readiness

Morocco ranked second only to South Africa in terms of "internet readiness", an indicator of future growth potential, among the 14 countries compared in the report, which was published by the consultancy firm McKinsey & Company in November.

The findings come on the back of a drive under way in Morocco to increase broadband access nationwide by extending fibre-optic networks into more isolated regions of the country and to roll out a 4G network.

Preparations pay dividends

According to the McKinsey report, the internet contributed roughly $2.2bn to the Moroccan economy in 2012, or 2.3% of GDP. In percentage terms, this placed the country behind Senegal (3.3%) and Kenya (2.9%), although in absolute terms it exceeded Senegal's $470m and Kenya's $1.1bn.

In calculating the internet's contribution to GDP, McKinsey took into account private consumption (including revenues from mobile and fixed internet service, smart phone and computer purchases, and e-commerce), public expenditure, private investment and trade balance. Morocco's score was driven largely by the trade balance factor, thanks to the exports of its business processing outsourcing (BPO) sector, in addition to private consumption.

source: www.zawya.com