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China-Africa Trade Information Service
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China-Africa Trade Information Service
Image from Moroccoworldnews
Chinese technology giant Huawei renewed its commitment to boost digital transformation in Morocco by providing a range of technological solutions and services to the public and private sectors in addition to training local talent in the fields of big data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and coding.
Huawei opened its first office in Morocco in 2002. Since then, it has “created 8,000 local jobs with 80% of local employees [and] a fiscal tax contribution of $35 million,” Chief Brand Officer at Huawei Technologies Maroc Nabil Ouchagour told Morocco World News (MWN) during the sixth edition of AUSIM Conference.
AUSIM's event gathered over 1,000 participants in Marrakech this week.
Organized under the theme “Digital Nation: Unleash the Potential,” the event, scheduled for October 26-28 in Marrakech, featured Huawei as a “Diamond” partner, and provided a platform for the Chinese corporation to exhibit its recent innovations as well as highlighting its efforts to help Morocco become a “digital nation.”
As Morocco aspires to serve as a leading digital hub in Africa, Ouchagour stressed that the country needs to develop its “connectivity capacity, computing capacity, decarbonization [efforts], and talent.”
Supporting Morocco’s digital transformation
Echoing Ouchagour’s sentiment, Deputy General Manager of Huawei Morocco Faustin Xu reiterated the company’s “commitment to creating a solid and lasting impact by leveraging innovation and collaboration.”
Huawei’s vision for a global digital transformation overlaps with initiatives that Morocco launched, aiming to turn the country into a digital hub for Africa with a strong and exemplary digital economy.
Throughout the past 15 years, Morocco has worked on advancing its digital sector by increasing internet penetration across the country with a vision of introducing e-government solutions for the coming years to facilitate administrative procedures for citizens and residents.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also accelerated the digital transition. According to Morocco’s Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Businesses, and Employment Younes Sekkouri, the country’s “significant progress” in the digital sector “was stimulated by the COVID-19 pandemic” which further supported the implementation of the country’s new development model.
Morocco's Minister of Digital Transformation Ghita Mezzour addressing the attendees.
Today, Morocco’s interest in digital transformation is growing, says Minister of Digital Transformation Ghita Mezzour. The government is currently developing a national strategy for digitization with support from local stakeholders including investors, civil society, and startups.
In this context, Huawei is capitalizing on the Moroccan need for technical support to train young talent and build modern and secure infrastructures required to classify, store, and protect private data.
Given that Huawei provides a range of solutions from training programs to services such as cloud and cybersecurity, the Chinese tech giant states it is “here to support the vision of the government,” adding that the Moroccan efforts to build and sustain a digital economy could “bring significant growth” to the local ecosystem.
The top management of Huawei Morocco
In an interview with MWN, Chief Strategy Officer of Huawei Morocco Chakib Achour noted “several solutions” provided by the company in the Moroccan market including sovereign clouds and cybersecurity services.
Both products can support Morocco’s e-government services in the fields of education and health while protecting private data in accordance with national regulations.
Huawei is also working closely with three phone network operators in Morocco to increase network connectivity and upgrade 4G networks with the support of established data centers, says Achour, adding that the company has built more than 50% of network infrastructures in the country.
In June, Huawei committed to developing 5G technologies and infrastructure in Morocco, suggesting that the “5A” model is best for the North African region.
“5A” stands for “affordable devices, amazing 5G service, attractive tariff plans, agile marketing, and advanced networks.”
Training youth in ICT sectors
In addition to building Morocco’s digital infrastructures, Huawei is focusing on training future generations of engineers and tech experts.
“We are here building talent in Morocco,” Achour told MWN, citing the company’s “ambitious” programs like Digitech talent and ICT Academy.
The two programs train young talent in big data, AI, coding, and cloud computing architecture to close the gap between the knowledge acquired at universities and the skills needed in the job market.
Panelists in the AUSIM conference
Given the ongoing rapid technological change seen worldwide, professional training appears to be key to “close the digital skills gap,” Ouchagour told MWN.
However, Huawei’s Chief Brand Officer stressed that Morocco has “great talent” that only needs “to be supported by all local partners” to reach its full potential. Morocco’s youth is successful, having achieved first and third positions in particular categories in global ICT competitions, he added.
Supporting innovation, startups
As part of Huawei’s commitment to the development of young talent, the company is mentoring and sharing its resources with emerging Moroccan startups. Through its Spark program, Huawei offers “free of charge vouchers for startups,” allowing them to access its training resources.
Some of the startups selected for the program also have the chance to share their applications in the company’s app store which “provides [them with] more visibility at the international levels,” according to Achour.
Huawei’s technical support for startups partially contributes to the boost of the national startup ecosystem which is gradually gaining visibility at the regional and international levels.
However, structural issues such as lack of training, funding, and female representation are still impeding startups. In September, Moroccan startups raised only $1 million (MAD 10.9 million) out of $173 million (MAD 1.8 billion) of capital secured by startups in the MENA region.
While converging reports have highlighted the potential of Moroccan cities such as Casablanca to become major startup hubs on the continent, the Moroccan startup ecosystem which currently consists of over 200 startups remains unsuccessful in raising significant funds for its innovative solutions.
By providing technical support to emerging Moroccan startups, Huawei and its private and public partners are reinforcing the local startup ecosystem which fosters the country’s chances to become a digital hub, adding to the country’s established leadership in the telecommunication and banking industries in Africa.
The organization of the first tech show GITEX Africa to be hosted in Marrakech from May 31 and June 2 of next year, further highlights Morocco’s strategic positioning in the tech and startup fields, Ouchagour commented, noting that “there are many signs that show that we are in the right way in Morocco.”
