editorial - portnet · of sustainable territories. taking part in the work of this second edition,...

- 1 -NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBRE - OCTOBRE EDITION 2019 - N°45

Newsletter45

EDITORIALDay after day, year after year, the Single Window for Foreign Trade Procedures, PortNet, works to drive a dynamic of continuous improvement, by joining its efforts with those of other players in the cross-border supply chain. The latest World Bank report on the business climate, known as Doing Business, is an opportunity to measure the challenges and progress in this area. In this newsletter, we focus on the remarkable jump made by Morocco in the new world ranking, focusing on the reforms associated with the cross-border trade indicator (See Topic of the month).In addition to the usual overview of the facts marking the news in September and October, you will find an account of the 7th edition of the International Conference on Single Windows, organized from September 17 to 19, 2019 in Yaounde ( Cameroon), on the initiative of the African Alliance for Electronic Commerce, in partnership with the Single Window for Foreign Trade Operations GIE of Cameroon (See Highlight).

Good reading.Jalal Benhayoun

Topic of the month

«This is a record year for the econo-mies of the Middle East and North Africa,

NEWS

Casablanca: launch of the Moroccan Logistics Day

Highlight

SWC: 7th edition of the International Single Window Conference held in Yaoundé


NEWS

Casablanca launch of the Moroccan Logistics Day

Under the aegis of the Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water and in partnership with the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), the Moroccan Logistics Development Agency (AMDL) has organized the first edition of the Moroccan Logistics Day, Wednesday October 30, 2019 in Casablanca.Under the theme «Morocco on the road to logistics performance», this day brought together all the actors of the logistics sector in Morocco, whether they are institutional, professional, scientific or expert.During his opening address, the Minister of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water, Abdelkader Amara, took the opportunity to

discuss a set of achievements in the area of logistics development in Morocco. On the institutional level, he made a point of specifying that the governance of the sector was reinforced by the establishment of the Moroccan Agency for Logistics Development (AMDL) in 2011, of the Moroccan Observatory of Logistics Competitiveness (OMCL ) in 2013, from the National Logistics Standardization Commission (CNNL) in 2014 and from the Logistics Training Coordination Center in 2015.

Rabat PORTNET S.A. takes part in the 4th edition of the Africa IT Expo Forum

On the initiative of the Federation of Information Technologies, Telecommunications and Offshoring (APEBI), the fourth edition of the Africa IT Expo Forum (AITEX) took place from October 24 to 25 in Rabat, under the theme «Digital, the engine of growth in Africa».As usual, the PORTNET S.A. teams were strongly mobilized to contribute to the success of this edition which was marked by the participation of two countries of honor: the Republic of Congo and the People’s Republic of China.Africa IT Expo is an open IT platform across the


NEWS

Casablanca PORTNET S.A. participates in the second edition of Futur.e.s in Africa

On Tuesday October 29, Casablanca once again hosted Futur.e.s in Africa, an event dedicated to digital innovation in Africa.Organized jointly by the Casablanca Settat Region and the Ile-de-France Region, in partnership with Maroc Numeric Cluster and Cap Digital, Futur.es in Africa which is in its second edition, aims to connect the French, Moroccan and African ecosystems in the broad sense, and to promote innovation in the service of sustainable territories.Taking part in the work of this second edition, PORTNET S.A. was present on a stand alongside other exhibitors from all over Africa, Morocco, France and the United States. It was an opportunity to highlight the innovative solutions offered by the National Single Window for Foreign Trade Procedures, PortNet.

African continent, a crossroads of exchange around the latest digital innovations and solutions. The opportunity to highlight best practices, particularly with regard to citizen services and e-Gov platforms developed by offices and public bodies.


On the program of the 2019 edition of Futur.es in Africa, a dense day of meetings and exchanges around an exhibition of more than 40 innovative projects, conferences, and professional workshops on major issues in the development of territories: infrastructure, waste management, education, digital sovereignty, financing of innovation, etc.

NEWS

LondonPORTNET S.A. participates in the 34th UN / CEFACT Forum

PORTNET S.A. took part in the 34th Forum of the United Nations Center for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Commerce (UN / CEFACT). The event was held from October 28 to November 1, 2019 at the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London.Morocco has been invited to share the innovative experience of its PortNet Single Window, as well as other countries, such as Senegal, Malaysia, Canada, in addition to the European Commission.

The intervention of Jalal Benhayoun, Director General of PORTNET S.A., focused on current developments in UN / CEFACT projects. Mr. Benhayoun initiated and directs within this center the publication of a new recommendation on the core principles of the operation of Single Window systems.


NEWS

Regional workshop on the transport services sector and trade facilitation for Arab connectivity

A regional workshop on the transport services sector and trade facilitation for Arab connectivity was held on October 24 and 25, 2019 in Casablanca. More than ten sessions animated this event under the theme: «Strengthening Arab economic integration for sustainable development».

Several participants from the public and private sectors took part in this workshop. The debates thus focused on the achievements of the Jordanian National Single Window in terms of trade facilitation and logistical efficiency; the role of women in the agrifood supply chain in North Africa; The WTO agreement on trade facilitation and its implementation in the Arab world; the

different rules and commitments in the context of the Regional Service Agreements, The new control procedures at the container terminal level in the port of Aqaba; the Agreement on Trade in Services in the Arab World; the contribution of the transport services sector to optimizing trade costs, public-private partnership in Morocco, etc.

At the end of the workshop, closing remarks were made by representatives of the UNDP, UNCTAD and the Ministry of Industry, Trade, Green and Digital Economy.

As a reminder, Morocco was elected last April as reporter for the North Africa and Middle East region (MENA) within the CEFACT-ONU.UN / CEFACT is a subsidiary intergovernmental body of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which serves as a focal point within the United Nations Economic and Social Council for recommendations on trade facilitation and electronic business standards.


CopenhagenPORTNET S.A. invited to the Nutanix annual conference

PORTNET S.A. took part in the annual .NEXT Europ Conference on October 9-10 in Copenhagen, Denmark, organized by Nutanix, the world leader in cloud computing software and hyper-converged infrastructure solutions.Nutanix has thus brought together nearly 4,500 customers, partners and opinion leaders from around the world. The American software publisher seized the opportunity to celebrate

the 10 years of the company and take stock of the transformation that it has been pursuing for years with the ultimate goal of simplifying and easing the movement of applications in different infrastructure environments.

Trieste:three new members join IPCSA

The annual meeting of the members of the of International Port Community Systems (IPCSA) took place from October 24 to 25, 2019, hosted by the Port of Trieste authority. The opening session was marked by the adoption of the Code of Conduct to avoid anti-competitive behavior. This was followed by the presentation of the new members of the Association, The Port Authority of Tanger Med (Morocco), Hellenic PCS (Greece) and Polski PCS (Poland).

During the meeting in Trieste, several themes were discussed such as the adoption of initiatives facilitating the exchange of data between the various actors in the supply chain, the role of port community systems in transport to the hinterland , in particular the railroad, as well as the application of Blockchain in the port sector.

Dubaï:PORTNET S.A. participation in the World Blockchain Summit

A Moroccan delegation, of which PORTNET SA is a member, traveled to Dubai on the occasion of the World Blockchain Summit on October 23 and 24, 2019. CEO, experts, investors, more than 500 participants, from both the public and private sectors and coming from different

countries, took part in this event.The Dubai Summit is an opportunity to better understand the new developments in Blockchain technology. The city of Dubai shared with the participants its Dubai Healthcare City Authority – Regulatory (DHCR) project on the

NEWS


The PortNet model in the spotlight at the 4th edition of the «Rencontres Africa»After Paris, Abidjan, Nairobi and Tunis, the fourth edition of the “Africa Meetings” took place at the Palais des Congrès in Skhirat on October 21 and 22, 2019. Organized by Classe Export, the event aims to promote and develop relationships between French, Moroccan and African companies.

On the program, several conferences covering many sectors of activity: agro-industry, sustainable cities, renewable energies, digital, health, financing, training, etc. PORTNET SA was invited to exhibit the innovative model of the National Single Window for Foreign Trade Procedures during a workshop organized under the theme «The digitization of the Moroccan economy: the example of logistics and customs with PortNet» .

More than 1,300 companies took part in this event, including 900 Moroccan companies, 210 French companies and 180 African companies (excluding Morocco).

The “Africa Meetings” days were based on a rich and varied program, intended to promote business through tailor-made “B to B” business meetings, scheduled before the event, depending

on personalized search criteria, managed by a networking application.

NEWStotal dematerialization of the lives of patients in connected hospitals, so that the data of each patient’s medical record is shared in a transparent and secure manner with all the actors of the ecosystem connected via the Blockchain. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has taken a step ahead in the area of cryptocurrency on a

regional scale, through a strategy that aims for 50% of all government transactions to occur via the Blockchain the horizon 2021.


4DX: training workshops for the benefit of PORTNET S.A. employees

Delivered in the form of workshops, 4DX training (The 4 Disciplines of Execution) supports PORTNET S.A. employees in achieving their priorities amidst the whirlwind of daily tasks. 4DX is not a theory, but a proven set of principles and practices that have been tested and perfected by hundreds of organizations and hundreds of thousands of teams over the course of many years. Organizations that practice the four famous execution disciplines (4DX) can deliver decisive results.Through this training, PORTNET S.A. seeks to push managers to identify essential and

critical objectives, to focus tirelessly on key progress measures and to manage progress towards achieving objectives with a convincing scorecard.

Smart Government: a Chinese delegation received at the headquarters of PORTNET S.A.On a working visit to Morocco, from September 23 to 25, 2019, a high-level delegation from the Office of Big Data Management of the Province of Guizjhou, was welcomed at the headquarters of PORTNET S.A. in Casablanca. The visit is part of the development of bilateral cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the People’s Republic of China.The Chinese delegation held a working session with the managers of PORTNET S.A. and was thus able to inquire about Moroccan know-how in the field of digitalization of foreign trade procedures. Discussions also focused on partnership possibilities, in particular on aspects linked to “Smart Government”.The Big Data Development Bureau of Guizhou Province is a state body specializing in the field

of digital development and the digital industry (Public and private sector).

NEWS


NEWS

The figure of the month

46It is, in billions of dirhams, the overall added value generated by the logistics sector in 2017, against 34 billion in 2010, according to figures from the Moroccan Observatory of Logistics Competitiveness (OMCL), reported by the Minister of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water, Abdelkader Amara, during his opening speech on the Moroccan Logistics Day, Wednesday October 30, 2019 in Casablanca. The logistics sector contributes 5.1% of GDP, adds the same source.

AgendaFrom November 20 to 21 , 2019 : training seminar on «bills of lading and its developments: everything you need to know about the maritime transport contract» at the Port Training Institute, Casablanca (Morocco);

From February 04 to 06, 2020 : Euromaritime 2020, Marseille (France);

From April 07 to 09, 2020: Annual Single Window Conference / SWC 2020 - Morocco;

From April 07 to 09, 2020: Logismed - Morocco.


Highlight SWC7th edition of the International Single Window Conference held in Yaoundé

The Cameroonian capital vibrated for three days, from September 17 to 19, 2019, at the rhythm of the 7th edition of the Single Windows International Conference, under the theme «Unlocking the potential of electronic commerce and optimizing the international supply chain of countries without littoral».

Organized by the African Alliance for Electronic Commerce (AACE), in partnership with the Single Window for Foreign Trade Operations GIE of Cameroon (GUCE), the event comes five months after the celebration of the 10th anniversary of AACE.

No less than 10 sessions animated the debates during this 7th edition. Panelists therefore looked at the opportunities offered by the African continental free trade area, the field of action aimed at improving the supply chain of landlocked countries, the future of one-stop shop technologies, etc.

Jalal Benhayoun, Managing Director of PORTNET S.A., also Vice-President of the AACE in charge of projects, was invited to present the integrative projects of the Pan-African association (Trade Portal, Exchange hub) during the third session on the program of the Yaoundé Conference, under the theme «Boosting intra-African trade: initiatives and challenges».

At the dawn of the implementation of the African continental free trade area (ZLECAF), the exchanges during this session emphasized the need to revisit experiences of the same nature (sub-regional and continental initiatives) already carried out in order to identify its strengths and weaknesses, shortcomings and

successes, history of laying solid foundations for a membership and strong involvement of the greatest number for a real development of intra-African trade.

The recommendations which arose from the different thematic sessions which punctuated the Yaoundé Conference were grouped under


Highlight two main poles, namely, on the one hand, the ZLECAF and the improvement of intra-African electronic commerce and, on the other hand, the implementation of Single Windows and facilitation instruments for landlocked countries.

The following are the recommendations concerning ZLECAF to improve intra-African electronic commerce :

• streamline procedures based on ICT; optimize the customs rules and controls of other technical administrations and FMOs along the corridors and at the borders with a view to a real operationalization of the ZLECAF;

• Improve product quality, export diversification and promote the internationalization of African companies in general, and SMEs in particular for the promotion of «Made in Africa» products;

• Move towards a regional digital market by promoting the development of electronic commerce platforms with adequate funding;

• Accelerate the ratification of the agreement establishing the African free trade area across all African Union member countries.

• Regarding the implementation of Single Windows and facilitation instruments for landlocked countries, the recommendations are as follows:

• Implement and optimize the National Single Windows and federate them around a regional platform with a view to fluidifying intra-African trade;

• Develop regional agreements, and / or strengthen cooperation, and support for trade supply chains, including through the development of interoperable IT systems and authorized economic operator systems, including mutual recognition;

• Develop the regional electronic freight monitoring system through close collaboration with freight management organizations: BGFT, BARC, BNFT in the case of CEMAC;

• Implement steering and follow-up mechanisms for recommendations made by national and regional authorities;

• Encourage Customs administrations to develop regional electronic seals to be used for transit operations in the region, as the replacement of the electronic seal with another seal at the border could cause delays;

• Develop and modernize the physical (port and airport road, rail and transport) and intangible (ICT infrastructure and services) infrastructure;

• Accelerate the appropriation of the Single Form for Foreign Trade operations for landlocked countries in the CEMAC zone;

• Emphasize the maturation of e-commerce facilitation projects and the establishment of Single Windows by ensuring the adequacy between the facilitation objectives and the expected results;

• Engage public services in performance contracts on the processing times and delivery of administrative documents relating to trade;

• Develop local technical and technological skills in order to master the implementation of information systems and the trade in electronic services with a view to the emergence of the digital economy of African countries;

• Propose projects in line with the real problems.


Topic of the month«This is a record year for the economies of the Middle East and North Africa, and we are determined to continue our support for all countries in the region. The continuation of the reforms should focus on promoting transparency, fair competition and good governance in order to create an environment conducive to businesses in the MENA region and attract the investments it needs to generate jobs for young people and women, «said Ferid Belhaj, World Bank vice president for the Middle East and North Africa region, when the latest World Bank report on the business climate (Doing Business 2020).

During the twelve-month period ending May 1, 2019, the MENA region’s economies initiated 57 business regulatory reforms, up from 43 the previous year. In total, 13 out of 20 countries have made reforms, and the regional average score for ease of doing business has improved by 1.8 points.

During the same period, Morocco implemented six reforms, which allowed it to gain 7 places in the latest Doing Business ranking, rising to 53rd out of 190 countries. Morocco retains its rank at the top of the ranking in North Africa and remains third in Africa and in the MENA region.

The honorable score obtained by Morocco supported the progress made in improving the business climate. Decidedly, the solutions deployed by PORTNET S.A., have borne fruit. «Morocco has accelerated cross-border exchanges by introducing electronic payment of port fees, by dematerializing procedures, by extending

the opening times of ports and by setting up a paperless customs clearance system,» the World Bank said in its report.

Seen solely from the angle of the indicator relating to “Cross-border trade”, Morocco is placed 58th in the world in the “Doing Business” ranking, against 60th a year ago, a gain of 12 places since 2010. A great result in which PORTNET SA played a leading role, in perfect coordination with all of the players in the foreign trade ecosystem.


INTERVIEW

Lamyae SBAISenior Project Manager

What does your assignment at PORTNET S.A. consist of? I am Senior Project Manager, my main mission is to ensure the smooth running of the projects included in the strategic plan of PORTNET S.A. and to ensure the achievement of its objectives.

Can you tell us about your experience within the company? I joined PORTNET S.A. in November 2018. I was able to discover in such a short time an area that is new to me, namely foreign trade. I had the chance to work on quite diverse projects, in collaboration with different stakeholders.

What is your best professional memory at PORTNET S.A.? My best professional memory will remain the team building of December 2018. I had just joined the company and it was for me the perfect opportunity to discover the team and the spirit of the company.

What are your objectives or ambitions for the coming years? Acquire more experience, continuously enrich my expertise in project management and carry out the projects entrusted to me.

If you are asked to describe the working environment and spirit at PORTNET S.A. in three words, which ones would it be? Ambition, Involvement, Excellence


Press reviewCMA CGM launches Black Sea service Marmara Morocco

Black Sea Marmara Morocco (BSMAR), this is how the CMA CGM shipping company called its new weekly direct service «short sea» between the Black Sea, Turkey, Morocco and Spain.

According to the American Journal of Transportation, this new service, launched by the shipping company on September 17, responds to the development of trade in this region, in accordance with its strategy of densifying its regional network.

This offer includes 31 services operating 61 ships and performing 250 rotations per week. The American media specifies that four ships used on this service provide a large capacity of “Reefer” containers (refrigerated containers) allowing to transport sensitive products in optimal storage conditions.

Present in more than 160 countries with 755 branches, 750 warehouses and 110,000 employees and with a fleet of 509 ships, the French Group CMA CGM serves 420 of the 521 commercial ports of the world and operates on more than 200 shipping lines.

Wednesday , September 18, Challenge

Foreign tradethe long-awaited texts of application of law 91-14 promised for 2020

2020 should mark a major turning point for foreign trade. The government promises the effective implementation of law 91-14 relating to the sector. This text aims, as a reminder, to establish a new framework for imports and exports, for trade agreements, notably those of free trade, with the key to the protection of national production.

Law 91-14 published in the Official Bulletin of April 7, 2016 will only come into force after the publication of regulatory texts taken for its application (decrees and

orders). The latter - eagerly awaited by professional organizations, but also partners from Morocco, including the European Union - concern, among other things, the methods of implementing several strategic provisions. These relate in particular to import restrictions, import procedures, the register of importers and exporters, specifications and the management of tariff quotas.

In 2020, the government thus plans to publish these implementing texts and to launch the electronic platform for registration in the register of importers and exporters. It also intends to draw up specifications by sector / profession setting the minimum requirements to be met by importers.

In addition, the year 2020 should also see the activation of the action plan of the National Coordination Commission for the facilitation of foreign trade procedures. As a reminder, this Commission held its first meeting in July 2019 where the rules of procedure had been adopted and the trade facilitation action plan for the period 2019-2021 had been adopted. And that’s not all. Also on the agenda is the further dematerialization of procedures in order to reduce the time and cost associated with import and export operations. So far, «the efforts undertaken have enabled the connection to the national single window of foreign trade PortNet of more than 34,000 operators and the reduction of the period of stay of goods at ports to less than 7 days.

In addition, in 2020 the government plans to continue the support program for first-time exporters. This program provides them with financial and technical support over a period of 3 years. Between 2017 and 2019, 94 companies were supported for the implementation of their export action plan and their development in the target markets.

Tuesday October 22, Le Matin


Press review

ANPHalf-yearly results up

The National Ports Agency (ANP) recorded positive half-yearly results. At the end of last June, traffic reached 44.1 million tonnes, up 1% year-on-year. This slight increase is due to the performance of traffic in phosphoric acid (+ 23.5%), sulfur (+ 22.2%), coal (+ 13.3%).

Turnover exceeds, for its part, 1 billion DH, an increase of 6% year on year. This increase is explained by the improvement in concession fees by 13.7% (+ DH 41.2 million) and by the increase in temporary occupation fees in the public domain (OTDP) from 39.6% to 55 , DH 9 million, following the conclusion of new OTDP contracts and the regularization of certain OTDP relating to previous years.

Operating expenses also fell 1.1% to 766.2 million, due to the reduction in other external expenses of 2.9%. In this context, the Agency records a net profit of 158.8 million DH, up 20.5% year on year.

Wednesday, October 2, L’Economiste

Doing Business 2020Morocco’s rank reflects the substantial improvement in the business climate It is a long-term job that the new rank of Morocco (53rd) in the Doing Business ranking crowned. Between the 2010 edition of the ranking, where the Kingdom was in 128th position, and that of 2020, the country achieved a jump of 75 places.

The objective of Morocco being to integrate in 2021 the Top 50 of this classification established by the World Bank, «the progression since 2010 reflects all the seriousness with which the country tackles

this challenge», explains the economist Taib Aisse to 2M.ma.

According to the president of the cabinet Aisse (specialized in audit, advice and training), the current rank of Morocco is «an excellent performance», and reflects «the substantial improvement» experienced by the business climate in the Kingdom.

«To establish this classification, the World Bank passes many sections with a fine comb. Examining the scores attributed to Morocco in each of these sections, we realize the impact of the evolution of procedures, administrative and financial frameworks. , legal, fiscal, commercial, customs, Office of Changes, IT, and other sites where reforms have been initiated by the authorities of the country «, continues Mr. Aisse.

The expert adds that «the visibility of Morocco has improved significantly» in a world where «the first reflex of investors when looking for a destination to invest is to consult the Doing Business ranking».

«Investors naturally tend to go to highly rated countries. When we were 128th, few came, but currently we are the first country in Africa in terms of attracting FDI (Investments Directs Étrangers, editor’s note. Certainly, there is still work to be done, but I am certain that in view of the efforts made so far, Morocco will be in the Top 50 of this ranking in 2021 «, concludes the economist.

Friday, October 25, 2m.ma

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