Morocco must build its own technological capacity or risk long-term dependence on foreign digital giants, warned Amal El Fellah Seghrouchni, the country’s Minister Delegate in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, during a panel at the 17th MeDays Southern Forum in Tangier. She stressed that true digital sovereignty requires control over data, infrastructure, algorithms and AI capabilities—not reliance on systems owned by a handful of American and Chinese technology powers.
Seghrouchni cited alarming global trends, noting that “92% of European data is stored in the United States,” a signal of how traditional notions of sovereignty have shifted. Algorithms now operate across borders without restrictions, she argued, while countries lacking GPUs, hyperscale data centers or domestic AI models face deep strategic vulnerabilities.
Tracing the evolution of AI—from early expert systems to today’s massive language models such as ChatGPT—she emphasized the geopolitical stakes. Modern AI systems depend on rare materials and advanced chips, creating a new form of technological dependency shaped by global industrial competition, illustrated by the US CHIPS Act.
In response, Morocco is advancing its Digital Morocco 2030 strategy under the leadership of King Mohammed VI. The plan focuses on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, IoT and digital infrastructure, with an emphasis on securing each stage of the AI value chain. Seghrouchni referenced past breaches—including the Cambridge Analytica scandal and Morocco’s own hack involving leaked confidential files—to underscore the need for sovereign digital systems.
A major pillar of Morocco’s approach is the creation of an “Administration X.0” framework, soon to become law. This architecture aims to deliver 24/7 e-government services built on strong security and sovereignty principles. The government is also investing heavily in sovereign infrastructure, including a 500MW data center in Dakhla and a 50MW sovereign cloud facility in Rabat. The Dakhla project will function as a regional “data embassy” for Morocco and Sahel states.
Seghrouchni also highlighted rising cybersecurity threats, noting that AI now powers both defensive capabilities and malicious attacks. While tools from firms like Kaspersky detect significantly more threats, nearly half of global cyberattacks now weaponize AI.
The minister encouraged young African researchers to persist in developing advanced technologies, recalling that her own PhD work on multi-agent systems—now foundational in agentic AI—took 25 years to reach mainstream adoption.
Morocco is also nurturing its startup ecosystem. Around 40 startups showcased innovations at the forum, and the country will host 300 startups at the upcoming GITEX Africa conference. Through the Digital for Sustainable Development (D4SD) initiative, Morocco aims to export high-quality tech across the Arab-African region, reinforcing its UN-recognized role as an Arab-African hub for AI and data science.
Moderated by Meryem Kassou of Digitis Consulting, the roundtable brought together officials, entrepreneurs and policy experts to explore the balance between innovation and national sovereignty. Seghrouchni’s message was clear: Africa must build indigenous technological power—or risk a future controlled by foreign digital infrastructure and algorithms.
