Morocco’s rural world: Electrification rate, drinking water supply near 100%

The 7.1 billion dirham ($800 million) investments injected by the National Office for Electricity and Potable Water (ONEE) in 2020 made it possible to improve the electrification rate of the rural world to 99.78 % and the rate of drinking water supply to 97.8%.

 

The investments enabled to ensure a normal and regular supply of electricity and drinking water to cities, as well as liquid sanitation services for 146 centers, said the Head of Government, Saad Dine El Othmani, who chaired the 4th session of the ONEE Board of Directors.

 

Of the 7.1 billion dirham investment, 3.5 billion dirhams ($391 million) went to the electricity sector and 3.6 billion dirhams ($403 million) to drinking water and liquid sanitation.

 

The Office has consolidated its position as a major investor at the national level and has managed to maintain the same volume of investments as in recent years, despite the difficult economic situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, El Othmani said.

In 2019, the Office mobilized 4.1 billion dirhams for the electricity sector and 4.3 billion dirhams for drinking water and sanitation.

Despite efforts to improve drinking water supply, enhance renewable energy, and electricity reforms, ONEE faces different challenges, according to the Head of Government.

El Othmani acknowledged some impact on performance and called on all stakeholders and partners to provide more support to enable the office to meet the challenges and ensure the continuity and quality of its services.

El Othmani also called on the office to get involved in the digitization project through the development of a digital transformation plan to optimize and improve its services.