In Morocco, the minister of Communication, Mustapha el Khalfi (pictured), announced that on the proposal of the head of government, an audit is scheduled to be done on audiovisual production contracts made between public television channels and foreign companies.

This is to assess the outcome of the 15 bids awarded to 60 companies during the last 2 years. The minister repeated it to parliamentarians in the House of Councillors this 7 July.

Mustapha el Khalfi explained that many television programs “do not meet the aspirations” of the general public. He said that the tender process from now on will include the viewers opinions; the goal being to bring them during the 2016 Ramadan the production quality they desire. The minister of Communication additionally stressed that “productions on subjects based on reality and made with creativity were generally well received”.

According to the Moroccan newspaper Kiosque360, the announced audit is a show of strength between the minister of Communication and the director of the Société nationale de radiodiffusion et de télévision (SNRT), Fayçal Laaraichi. SNRT has at least 8 television channels, as well as many national or regional radio stations.

Kiosque360 citing official sources states that Minister El Khalfi insists on transparency during the procurement of audiovisual productions, as the Moroccan public audiovisual sector is accused of wasting million of dirhams in productions deemed mediocre.