Country Overview
Morocco does not yet have a binding AI-specific law; AI governance instead runs through a national strategic roadmap, 'Maroc IA 2030' (branded 'AI Made in Morocco'), launched by the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform in Rabat in January 2026. The roadmap operationalizes outcomes from a National Artificial Intelligence Conference held in July 2025 and sets goals around technological sovereignty, public trust in AI, national skills development, local innovation and balanced territorial coverage; at the launch event, Minister Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni stated the government is targeting a 100 billion dirham (about $10 billion) contribution to GDP from AI by 2030, training 200,000 AI-skilled graduates and creating 50,000 AI-related jobs. A central institutional piece is JAZARI ROOT, described as the founding node of a planned nationwide network of AI centers of excellence ('Jazari Institutes') intended to combine training, applied research, experimentation and startup incubation across all twelve regions of the country.
The current Minister of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni — herself an AI researcher by background — has pursued international partnerships to support this roadmap, including a September 2025 memorandum of understanding with France's Mistral AI, which led to the January 2026 launch of a joint Mistral AI & MTNRA research lab in Rabat focused on AI models tailored to Morocco's linguistic and cultural context, including Darija (Moroccan Arabic). Morocco's existing binding privacy framework remains Law No. 09-08 (2009) on the protection of personal data, enforced by the National Commission for the Control of Personal Data Protection (CNDP); as of early 2026, a proposed National Agency for AI Governance had reportedly been discussed as a coordinating body with CNDP on AI-related data processing, though this had not been enacted. On the research side, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), through its 'AI Movement' center (a UNESCO Category II institute) and one of Africa's most powerful supercomputers, is the country's most prominent AI research hub.
At a Glance
Overall AI policy direction
National AI roadmap launched, no binding AI-specific law yet
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Major AI companies
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Research institutions
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Live debates
- Latest development
- June 16, 2026
- Regulatory approach
- Strategic roadmap ('Maroc IA 2030', launched January 2026) rather than binding regulation; existing data-processing rules run through the 2009 data protection law (09-08)
- Major AI companies
- UM6P Ventures
- Major cloud providers
- UM6P supercomputing infrastructure
- Leading research institutions
- Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P)
- Key ministries
- Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform (MTNRA), National Commission for the Control of Personal Data Protection (CNDP)
- Government involvement
- High — the roadmap is coordinated by the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, with the minister personally an AI researcher by background
- Industrial strategy
- Government-stated target of roughly $10 billion in AI-driven GDP contribution and 50,000 new AI jobs by 2030, anchored by a planned nationwide network of Jazari Institutes and UM6P's existing 'AI Movement' research center
- International partnerships
- September 2025 memorandum of understanding and January 2026 joint research lab with France's Mistral AI, focused on AI models for Darija and Moroccan cultural context; earlier exploratory talks with OpenAI
- Primary policy focus
- Standing up the Jazari Institute network and building Darija/Arabic/Amazigh-capable AI models while pursuing digital sovereignty goals
Current Direction
Tightening
Morocco moved from exploratory ambitions (a 2023 statement of intent to build a 'dedicated AI system') to a formal national roadmap in January 2026, with concrete institutional follow-through in the form of the JAZARI ROOT institute and the Mistral AI & MTNRA joint lab. The roadmap remains a strategic and industrial-policy document rather than binding regulation, and a reported proposal for a National Agency for AI Governance had not been enacted as of mid-2026, so Morocco's approach continues to rely on its pre-existing 2009 data protection law for anything with binding legal force.
Recent Developments
Morocco's audiovisual regulator HACA adopted ad hoc Decision No. 50-26 ahead of the 23 September legislative elections (16 June 2026), formally prohibiting the broadcast of electoral content falsified or generated by AI that could mislead the public or harm the integrity of democratic debate. Any AI-generated content used for educational or explanatory purposes must carry clear, permanent identification, with the rules applying during the electoral period from 15 August to 22 September 2026.
African Center for Strategic Studies and Digitalization report projects that AI-driven automation could put over 1.3 million net Moroccan jobs at risk by 2030 (roughly 1.5 million jobs facing direct automation pressure, offset by about 180,000 new digital roles), with BPO/offshoring, banking/insurance, automotive and textile sectors most exposed.
2026-04-23SourceMorocco World NewsOn the sidelines of GITEX Africa in Marrakech, a consortium led by US firm Nexus Core Systems — with Nvidia, South Korea's Naver and investor Lloyd Capital — signs a roughly $1.2 billion memorandum of understanding to build the 'Nexus AI Factory' near Casablanca, a sovereign AI data centre targeting up to 500MW of renewable-powered capacity and phased through 2027 in support of Morocco's digital-2030 ambitions.
Major2026-04-09Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform officially launches the 'Maroc IA 2030' national AI roadmap and the JAZARI ROOT institute in Rabat, operationalizing the July 2025 National Artificial Intelligence Conference.
MajorMistral AI and Morocco's MTNRA (Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform) officially launch a joint AI research lab in Rabat focused on cultural- and linguistic-tailored AI models, including Darija, building on a September 2025 MOU.
2026-01Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, an AI researcher, is appointed Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, succeeding Ghita Mezzour.
2024-10SourceWikipediaMinister Ghita Mezzour (then Minister Delegate for Digital Transition) meets OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap in San Francisco to discuss potential AI research cooperation tailored to Moroccan needs.
2023-10SourceHespress English
Policy and Regulation
Law No. 09-08 on the Protection of Individuals with Regard to the Processing of Personal Data
Morocco's principal binding data-protection law, enacted 18 February 2009, enforced by the National Commission for the Control of Personal Data Protection (CNDP). Applies to AI systems that process personal data but is not AI-specific.
'Maroc IA 2030' national AI roadmap
Strategic (non-binding) roadmap launched January 2026 by the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, targeting digital sovereignty, AI skills development, local innovation and territorial coverage, anchored by the JAZARI ROOT institute and planned nationwide Jazari Institutes network.
Proposed National Agency for AI Governance
Reported proposal for a dedicated AI governance agency intended to coordinate with the CNDP on AI-related data processing; described in legal commentary as under discussion in early 2026 but not yet enacted into law.
Research Ecosystem
Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), a private non-profit research university founded in 2013 near Marrakesh with a campus network extending to Rabat, is among Morocco's most prominent AI research institutions. Its 'AI Movement' center was granted UNESCO Category II status in 2023, and UM6P's supercomputer reportedly reached around 98th in the global Top500 ranking in 2020 and was said to be first in Africa for computing power at that time; by June 2025 the same machine's ranking had fallen to roughly 356th globally as other systems came online elsewhere, so its standing should be read as a 2020 snapshot rather than a current one, and neither figure has been independently re-verified here. UM6P also runs its own venture arm, UM6P Ventures, which together with Al Mada Ventures accounted for roughly 70% of Moroccan startup funding deployed in 2024. Beyond UM6P, Morocco's broader public-university AI research base appears less prominent in available English-language reporting.
Major AI Companies
Cloud Infrastructure
- Frontier AI
- Emerging / sovereign models
- Compute
- UM6P 'Toubkal' supercomputer (among Africa's most powerful); a ~$1.2bn Nexus AI Factory near Casablanca (up to 500MW, backed by Nvidia and Naver) planned through 2027
- Chip access
- Import-reliant; the planned Nexus factory would deploy Nvidia GPUs
UM6P supercomputing infrastructure
High-performance computing cluster operated by Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, reported in one industry ranking as one of the most powerful supercomputers in Africa; primarily used for university and applied research rather than as commercial public cloud infrastructure.
Leading Universities
Think Tanks
No think tanks recorded yet.
Government Institutions
Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform (MTNRA)
Lead ministry for Morocco's AI strategy, having launched the 'Maroc IA 2030' roadmap and the Mistral AI & MTNRA joint research lab; formerly named the Ministry Delegate for Digital Transition and Administrative Reform.
National Commission for the Control of Personal Data Protection (CNDP)
Autonomous administrative authority responsible for enforcing Morocco's 2009 data protection law (09-08), including as it applies to AI systems processing personal data.
Notable Gaps
Binding AI-specific law
Morocco has no binding AI-specific legislation; 'Maroc IA 2030' is a strategic roadmap and a proposed National Agency for AI Governance had not been enacted as of mid-2026.
Frontier AI developers
No frontier foundation-model developer is headquartered in Morocco; the Mistral AI & MTNRA lab is a joint research collaboration with a French lab rather than an independent Moroccan frontier developer.
Public data on Jazari Institutes rollout
Beyond the JAZARI ROOT launch, public reporting on the pace and funding of the planned regional Jazari Institutes network was limited as of mid-2026; treat rollout claims with some caution.
Key People
Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni
GovernmentMinister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform
Government of Morocco
Ghita Mezzour
GovernmentFormer Minister Delegate for Digital Transition and Administrative Reform (Oct 2021–Oct 2024)
Government of Morocco (former)
People and Organisations to Follow
Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni
GovernmentMinister leading 'Maroc IA 2030' and the Mistral AI partnership; an AI researcher by academic background, giving her portfolio unusual technical depth among African digital ministers.
UM6P / AI Movement
UniversityAmong Morocco's leading AI research centers and a UNESCO Category II institute; a bellwether for Moroccan and broader Francophone-African AI research output.
Current Debates
GovernmentWhether 'Maroc IA 2030' can deliver genuine digital and linguistic sovereignty while relying heavily on foreign AI labs like Mistral AI
Morocco's roadmap explicitly frames 'technological sovereignty' as a core goal, yet its most visible flagship project to date is a joint research lab with a French AI company.
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Whether 'Maroc IA 2030' can deliver genuine digital and linguistic sovereignty while relying heavily on foreign AI labs like Mistral AI
Morocco's roadmap explicitly frames 'technological sovereignty' as a core goal, yet its most visible flagship project to date is a joint research lab with a French AI company.
The Mistral AI & MTNRA lab is framed by officials as building Moroccan capacity to develop AI models attuned to Darija and Moroccan cultural context, and Minister El Fallah Seghrouchni has also held exploratory talks with OpenAI. Some observers see this as a pragmatic way to accelerate local capability by partnering with an established lab rather than building frontier AI capacity from scratch; others question whether a roadmap centered on partnerships with foreign labs can simultaneously deliver on stated goals of reducing technological dependence. This tension has not been resolved in available reporting and is likely to recur as the Jazari Institutes network develops.
IndustryAutomation risk to Morocco's large offshoring/BPO sector versus the government's AI-led growth targets
A 2026 report projects that AI-driven automation could put over 1.3 million net Moroccan jobs at risk by 2030, concentrated in the offshoring/BPO sector that has been a pillar of Morocco's economic strategy.
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Automation risk to Morocco's large offshoring/BPO sector versus the government's AI-led growth targets
A 2026 report projects that AI-driven automation could put over 1.3 million net Moroccan jobs at risk by 2030, concentrated in the offshoring/BPO sector that has been a pillar of Morocco's economic strategy.
The April 2026 report from the African Center for Strategic Studies and Digitalization estimated roughly 1.5 million Moroccan jobs facing direct automation exposure by 2030 (offset by only around 180,000 new digital roles), with the business-process-outsourcing/offshoring sector — long promoted by the government as a source of employment — showing around 30% exposure, alongside meaningful exposure in banking/insurance, automotive and textiles. This sits in some tension with 'Maroc IA 2030's' framing of AI primarily as a growth and competitiveness opportunity; the government has not yet published a detailed public response specifically addressing the report's job-displacement projections, though officials have periodically referenced upgrading the offshoring sector toward higher-value, AI-enabled services as a mitigation strategy.
Knowledge Hub
Think tank reports
- AI Law in Morocco: Legal Framework and Key Issues— Naim Bentaleb
Sources
Deliberately sourced beyond government publications. The bars below show each category’s actual share of this page’s citations — an internal editorial guideline rather than a rigorously derived target, so treat it as a rough steer, not a precise benchmark.
- Morocco Launches 'Maroc IA 2030' Roadmap To Strengthen AI Governance, Digital SovereigntyNewsMorocco World News2026-01-12
- New 'AI Made in Morocco' strategy aims for $10 billion impactNewsMiddle East AI News2026-01-13
- Morocco sets out national AI roadmap to 2030Think tanksCADE (Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment)2026-01
- AI Made in Morocco: Mistral AI Partners with MTNRA on Cultural-Linguistic AI ModelsNewsEcofin Agency2026-01
- AI to Put Over 1.3 Million Moroccan Jobs at Risk by 2030NewsMorocco World News2026-04-23
- Morocco's digital transition minister engages OpenAI in AI collaboration talksNewsHespress English2023-10
- Amal El Fallah SeghrouchniNewsWikipedia2024-10
- Law No. 09-08 on the Protection of Individuals with Regard to the Processing of Personal DataGovernmentRegulations.AI2009-02
- AI Law in Morocco: Legal Framework and Key IssuesExpert commentaryNaim Bentaleb2026-04-29
- Morocco's Ai Movement — UM6P Receives UNESCO Category II Status in ParisNewsMorocco World News2023-11
- Morocco rising: Inside the Kingdom's startup and VC revolutionNewsAfrican Business2026-03
- Morocco's offshoring sector makes a comeback, but don't expect it to lastNewsHespress English
- Nexus Factory Launch at GITEX Africa Positions Morocco as a Future AI GatewayNewsMorocco World News2026-04
- Morocco Signs $1.28 Billion MoU to Build AI FactoryNewsEcofin Agency2026-04
- Élections Législatives 2026 -- Une décision ad hoc de la HACA pour garantir le pluralisme, l'intégrité du débat public et la neutralité des médiasGovernmentHACA2026-06-23
- Le Maroc interdit les contenus électoraux générés par l'IA à l'approche du scrutin de 2026NewsYabiladi2026-06