Rabat – Advancing gender equality in Morocco has become a priority not only for activists but also as part of the country’s ambition to boost women’s empowerment and inclusion in policy making.

As Morocco celebrates National Women’s Day on October 10, civil society celebrates inspiring women, who continue to contribute to the country’s development. 

Ghita Mezzour is one of the profiles that made national headlines in October of last year for her appointment to a government role. Morocco’s government announced Mezzour as the country’s new Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administration Reform.

The position in which Mezzour was entrusted forms a part of Morocco’s priority commitment towards sustainable development and digitalization reforms, especially in the field of e-government and online state services.

Since her appointment, Mezzour has shown commitment to continuing to help the country achieve its reforms’ goals toward digital transformation.

In January, Mezzour celebrated Morocco’s achievement in the digitalization sector but acknowledged that more work should be done to boost it.

“We are working on expanding and strengthening our [internet] coverage,” the minister said.

The official emphasized the importance of digitalization to facilitate administrative procedures, stressing the process should begin with enabling all Moroccans to access the internet affordably.

The minister has a proven track record in the field through an illustrious educational and professional journey.

Having obtained a Master’s Degree in Communication Systems from the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne in Switzerland in 2008, Mezzour earned a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in the US in 2015. That same year she was named a “rising star” by the US’ Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In 2018, she utilized her knowledge to create a company that uses social networks, press, and websites to simplify access to strategic information in Morocco.

Mezzour managed the company until her appointment to the government in 2021. Before joining the ministry, Mezzour also served as an assistant professor and then associate professor at the International University of Rabat until December 2020.

With specializations in big data, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, Mezzour possesses the knowledge to help bring Morocco’s digital infrastructure to a level comparable to that of its peers.

In order to achieve its sustainable digitalization reforms, the North African country launched three ambitious digitization projects, including e-Morocco 2010 (2005-2010).

Morocco also launched Maroc Digital 2013 (2009-2013), and Maroc Digital 2020 (2015-2020), which are part of the country’s strategies to demonstrate the efforts seeking to modernize and digitalize public institutions. 

The digitalization of government services and public records has been described by many as an important step to improving transparency and accessibility in the country, especially adoption rates for the internet continue to increase throughout the country.