Moroccan companies missing 70% productivity gains digitalization
Moroccan companies have equipped themselves with digital tools, but few truly integrate them into their daily operations. This "incomplete digitalization" deprives the country of significant productivity gains, according to the World Bank.
Only 31% of Moroccan establishments use specialized software and barely 8% have an ERP system that allows them to centralize company management, accounting, inventory, purchasing and production.
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The findings are based on a survey conducted in 2024 among 1,256 companies and covering more than 300 technologies. Basic digital tools have become widely adopted, but more advanced solutions — ERP, automated supplier management, data analysis, artificial intelligence or sensor-based quality control — remain much less widespread.
Even when installed, these technologies are rarely fully exploited. Among equipped companies, less than half use them intensively for administration or supply chain management. This proportion drops to about one-third for production planning and to less than one-quarter for quality control.
This gap between purchasing a tool and its actual use is larger in Morocco than in India, Vietnam and most other countries studied, according to the World Bank’s Economic Situation Monitoring Report for Morocco.
Exporting companies and those working with multinationals generally display a higher technology level. They are more pressured to comply with international standards, improve their quality and adopt the methods of their foreign partners.
Up to 70% additional productivity
The potential loss can be considerable. The most technologically advanced Moroccan companies display productivity 50% higher than the least equipped establishments, after accounting for their size and sector of activity.
But simply buying software is not enough. Companies that truly integrate digital technologies into their operations record productivity more than 30% higher. The gap reaches approximately 70% when advanced tools are used intensively in administration and production planning.
Intensive use in supplier management and quality control is associated with productivity gains close to 50%. These results constitute correlations observed by the World Bank and not a guarantee that software will automatically produce the same effects in each company.
Digitalization is also linked to better social outcomes. Technology adoption is associated with employment growth 7% higher, a proportion that reaches 10% when tools are used intensively. Salaries are then on average 27% higher.
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At Morocco’s scale, closing the gap compared to comparable countries could raise overall productivity by 10 to 15%. The main challenge is therefore no longer simply helping companies purchase equipment, but training their employees and managers so they truly know how to exploit them.
