Morocco Pushes for Widespread Adoption of E-Signatures Amid Pandemic

The global electronic signature market generated $951.3 million in revenue in 2019. In the current crisis context, this new SaaS technology is a crucial breakthrough that is easy to implement. However, in Morocco, this new technology is slow to take hold, despite Law 53.03 on the electronic exchange of legal data.

According to data from Barid Al-Maghrib, 35,000 Class 3 electronic signature certificates were issued by the end of 2019, against a target set in 2013 of 60,000 certificates issued. The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic has been an opportunity for this sole authority approved by the Moroccan state to make the procedure for legalizing the signature and certificate more accessible when filing a file, in agreement with the Directorate General of Information Systems Security (DGSSI).

According to fnh.ma, this new procedure provides for the delivery of the PIN security code to the holder by email or SMS. If in the current pandemic context, Morocco generalizes e-signature, it will see an increase. In this sense, the department of Mohamed Benchaâboun is committed with the Digital Development Agency (ADD) to the generalization of digitization in ministries and some public institutions. Thus, a circular of April 2 mentions the implementation of a digital registry office and an electronic paraph, to establish e-signature in public procurement.

The advantages of this procedure for administrations range from transparency of exchanges to an evolution of skills and above all, practical organization; even if the system still lacks experimentation in administrations.