Morocco launches "Digital Morocco 2030": Investing heavily in cultivating talent, vigorously promoting digital transformation.

The Moroccan government launched the "Digital Morocco 2030 Plan" on September 26, aiming to position Morocco as a global digital center representing Africa. Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch announced the future blueprint via video, emphasizing the use of digital technology to streamline services, strengthen digital infrastructure, and drive social development. More details

Massive Investment to Create Job Opportunities

The Moroccan government has invested over $1.1 billion in this project with the goal of creating a large number of job opportunities. The focus is on strengthening digital infrastructure, providing technical training, and encouraging youth participation to support startups in the digital industry. Akhannouch stated that the project aims to train 100,000 young people in the digital field between 2024 and 2026, surpassing the 14,000 in 2022, with the expectation of creating 240,000 job opportunities in that sector. It is commendable that three agreements have already been signed, expected to create 130,000 job opportunities.

However, he pointed out that African startups currently only receive 0.5% of global investment, urging the support of development through new investment methods such as crowdfunding and angel investing.

Full Support for Youth Development, Promoting Domestic Digital Startups

Part of the plan is to provide financial support for these young people to facilitate their market participation. Akhannouch emphasized that by 2027, the number of digital-related university graduates is expected to triple. They are also collaborating with the Ministry of Higher Education and the National Center for Scientific and Technical Research to provide 550 doctoral scholarships, promoting technology research and talent development.

By cultivating high-end talents to enhance digital outsourcing and export services, establishing a favorable legal framework for global development to promote startup growth, and supporting domestic startups to enter international markets, especially praising platforms like innovation and practice labs for makers, which are expected to attract foreign tech companies and further strengthen industries such as automotive and aviation.

Unified Digital Services to Enhance Public Management Efficiency

The plan also includes setting up an administrative service center to unify all digital services, aiming to improve the efficiency of services such as healthcare, social security, education, and employment. The government will also strengthen the Moroccan Digital Development Agency and optimize public management with digital concepts to enhance Morocco's ranking in global digital governance.

In conclusion, Africa currently has relatively lower labor costs compared to other regions globally. However, with countries like Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa actively promoting digital transformation and the development of high-tech fields, the labor structure in Africa may gradually upgrade in the future, potentially becoming an emerging hotspot for the global digital industry and a force not to be ignored.

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