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China-Africa Trade Information Service
Image from Moroccoworldnews
The finals of Huawei's Spark program took place today at the Tour Hassan Hotel in Rabat, with the participation of experts in the field of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as well as Moroccan startups.
Through the national competition, Huawei sought to support startups and young entrepreneurs in Morocco, in a bid to boost the country’s innovative projects and digital transformation.
The Spark program included a total of 50 participants, each presenting an innovative project, but the finals featured only eight startups. The jury of the competition announced today the three winners, who are set to benefit from financial and technical support to boost their startups.
Head of Growth at Sobrus Saad Amor won the first prize of 15,000$ (MAD 157,806), while Saad Jittou claimed the second prize and won 10,000$ ( MAD 105,204).
Winner of Spark program's first prize Saad Amor
“We are very happy to have received this first prize from the Huawei spark program,” Amor told Morocco World News, highlighting the added value that such events bring Moroccan startups.
Amor stressed that he was glad to meet with international players in new technology and artificial intelligence, saying that young startups would benefit from their years-long expertise and know-how in the field.
In an interview with Morocco World News, Deputy General Manager of Huawei Morocco Faustin Xu said that Morocco is the first country to launch the Spark competition in the Mediterranean region.
Deputy General Manager of Huawei Morocco Faustin Xu
He indicated that Huawei organized the event with a number of partners to “enhance and encourage the startup ecosystem of Morocco.”
In addition, the representative of Orange at the event Nadia Mrabi Taibi highlighted the positive impact that the five-month-long program had on the startups featured in the competition.
“Seeing these eight startups pitching in front of us reinforces our position in terms of supporting entrepreneurship in Morocco,” Taibi told Morocco World News.
Taibi called for supporting young startups in Morocco, arguing that it would help strengthen economic development, as well as “boost entrepreneurship in a solid way that makes it present at the level of the national market.”
Huawei organized the event in partnership with telecommunications operator Orange, Digital Development Agency (ADD), Technopark, AUSIM, SMIT, MASCiR, and MNF. The program also enjoyed the support of the Moroccan government.
General Manager of Huawei Morocco Jerry Cui said: “We at Huawei believe that the key to sustainable digital development lies in an ecosystem of thriving and successful SMEs and startups.”
He added that the competition “aims to promote the entrepreneurial spirit in Morocco by encouraging project holders to continue building promising startups and accelerate their digital transformation.”
Attendees at the Spark program's closing ceremony
The project reflects Morocco’s aspirations to become a digital hub in Africa and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as well as the country’s national strategy to boost digitization.
