Morocco and the Universal Postal Union (UPU) have agreed to implement the "Easy Export" pilot project which aims, amongst other things, to simplify export procedures to support microenterprises and small and medium-sized Moroccan companies, allowing them to export easily and cheaply, as well as give them access to international markets through the postal network of Barid Al Maghrib.

In this context, Mr Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Minister of Industry, Investment, Trade and the Digital Economy, and Mr Bishar A. HUSSEIN, Director General of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union, presided over the ceremony to sign this agreement, organized on 14 September 2017, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Industry, Investment, Trade and the Digital Economy, in the presence of the Director General of the Group Barid Al-Maghrib and officials from the different departments involved in this project.

At the start of this meeting, Mr Moulay Hafid Elalamy welcomed the dynamism of the relationship between Morocco and the UPU especially during recent years, and thanked the Director General of the UPU for its commitment in accompanying Morocco with its postal reform and its support for economic and social development projects.

Mr Elalamy noted that small and medium-sized businesses usually face many obstacles in accessing international markets, including the number and cost of formalities and the lack of export logistics infrastructure tailored to the needs of the segment. Mr. Elalamy stressed the willingness of Morocco to benefit from the experience of the UPU in the implementation of the project "Easy Export" for the promotion of exports through the postal network.

During the ceremony, Mr. Amin Benjelloun Touimi, Director General of the Group Barid Al-Maghrib, welcomed this achievement and said that the Group's modernization strategy is aligned with Government initiatives supporting economic and social development in Morocco, due to its mission as a public postal operator, the extent of its network and the many services it provides.

As Group Barid Al-Maghrib officiates as a window offering tailored services and proximity to the Moroccan economic fabric, particularly SMEs and SMIs, it has all the necessary assets to support these initiatives.

M. Amin Benjelloun Touimi has also stressed that the main objective of the « Easy Export » project, which aims at helping to achieve results comparable to those of latin american countries such as Brazil, the first country to launch such an initiative on a global scale, and where over 10,000 SMEs have been targeted, 80% of which have been able to export for the first time.

M. Bishar A. HUSSEIN declared in turn that the UPU as an intergovernmental institution and a specialised United Nations institution is the main cooperation platform between government, postal operators and partners in the sector. Its mission is to facilitate communication, cooperation and interaction between stakeholders in order to ensure the free movement of goods and postal services, as well as to encourage the adoption of fair common standards and the use of technology to satisfy the changing needs of the market.

M. Bishar A. HUSSEIN has added that on the one hand, UPU contributes to the sustainable development goals of the United Nations to meet the job creation and poverty challenges faced by various countries and on the other hand, it promotes development cooperation activities to enable the postal sector to contribute to economic growth and promote development. In this context, the UPU has launched the dedicated “Easy Export” programme and supplies assistance to member countries for the promotion and development of micro-companies and SME’s within the broader goal of sustaining socio-economic growth through postal services.

Furthermore, following the meeting held thursday in Rabat between M. Moulay Hafid Elalamy and M. Bishar A. HUSSEIN, the Minister announced that Morocco will join Ecom@Africa, a UPU project related to the creation of a regional e-commerce platform. This initiative aims at simplifying export procedure for companies and consumers alike by improving logistical courier and financial services, thus enabling the Barid Al Maghrib Group to act as a regional e-commerce hub. By facilitating product export and transit of international goods, Morocco will thus benefit from the growth generated by e-commerce economy.