Latest news with #EconomicInclusion
Ya Biladi
01-07-2025
- Business
- Ya Biladi
Morocco's National AI Conference highlights urgent need for training
Training public and private sector actors in artificial intelligence (AI) tools is essential to fully harness the potential of these emerging technologies, ministers said on Tuesday in Salé during the opening plenary of the National AI Conference. As AI becomes a key driver of competitiveness, training has become a critical requirement for turning this opportunity into a catalyst for sustainable and inclusive growth, the speakers emphasized. Mohamed Saad Berrada, Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, underscored the importance of mastering AI tools to improve educational system management and tackle pressing challenges, particularly in processing data related to students and teachers. He cited AI's potential to personalize curricula, support continuous teacher training, enhance language learning, and help reduce absenteeism and dropout rates. Younes Sekkouri, Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment, and Skills, stressed that AI is a transformative force for the job market. In light of this shift, he said the government's role is to integrate AI within a tailored legal and regulatory framework that unlocks the full potential of society. Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, highlighted the vital link between energy and AI: «Without energy, there are no servers, no data centers, and no AI», she said. Benali noted that Morocco plans to double its capacity for producing non-conventional energy in under five years—a leap equivalent to the progress made over the past three decades. Chakib Alj, President of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), pointed to the urgent need to effectively implement Morocco's national AI strategy. He emphasized the private sector's need for skilled engineers and digital talent, praising the 1337 coding school as a successful model for training tech-savvy youth—a model, he suggested, that should be scaled up to meet evolving market demands.
Maroc
11-06-2025
- Business
- Maroc
Social Dialogue: Morocco's 'Authentic' Experience Highlighted in Geneva
Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment, and Skills, Younes Sekkouri, highlighted on Monday in Geneva Morocco's 'authentic' experience in social dialogue, which has resulted in two major agreements totaling nearly $10 billion and benefiting over 12 million people. Delivering Morocco's keynote address to the plenary session of the 113th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), taking place from June 2 to 13, the official highlighted the relevance of the institutional framework Morocco has put in place and the parallel efforts to secure funding sources for social dialogue. In the first third of its mandate, he said, the government had focused on building a new institutional infrastructure for social dialogue, working closely with trade unions and employers. This stage "was not an easy one, as it was marked by serious and fierce discussions and negotiations," Sekkouri acknowledged. 'Once that framework was established, we turned our attention to tax reform and economic performance to ensure we had the means to fund this dialogue,' he added. 'It took us two years to reach two major social agreements, amounting to roughly $10 billion—a significant sum for our national budget. These agreements impact more than 12 million people across various programs under the social state, driven by His Majesty King Mohammed VI,' the minister said. Sekkouri noted that the agreements led to wage increases, labor tax reform, and progress on a long-awaited strike law—a piece of legislation that had been stalled for nearly six decades. He also pointed out that the government is dedicating the final third of its mandate to deep structural reforms. The first of these is a major overhaul of the Labor Code, which includes addressing concerns raised in the ILO's recent report on decent work in platform-based jobs. The minister, who is leading Morocco's tripartite delegation at this year's ILC, is scheduled to take part in several high-level events, including one marking World Day Against Child Labour and another at the Global Coalition for Social Justice Forum. Bilateral meetings are also planned. The Moroccan delegation includes representatives from the Head of Government office , the Ministry of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills, Morocco's Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva, and social partners. Employers are represented by delegations from the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) and the Federation of Moroccan Chambers of Commerce and Services (FCMCIS). The unions' delegation includes leaders from the Moroccan Labour Union (UMT), the General Union of Moroccan Workers (UGTM), and the Democratic Confederation of Labour (CDT). MAP:11 June 2025
Al Bawaba
27-05-2025
- Business
- Al Bawaba
Hedera Africa Hackathon Launches with $1M Prize Pool to Accelerate Africa's Digital Future
The Hashgraph Association, a Swiss non-profit organisation driving global adoption of Hedera-powered solutions by funding innovation, training, certification, and venture building programs, in collaboration with Exponential Science Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation accelerating responsible tech adoption, via research, education, and innovation activities, today announces the launch of the Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025 to enable the next generation of Web developers and empower economic inclusion in Africa with a digital future for biggest Web3 Hackathon initiative combines online participation with onsite events in over 20 African cities, with a goal of attracting over 10,000 participants across more than 15 countries on the African continent. Developers, students, and entrepreneurs are invited to collaborate to build decentralized solutions on Hedera across industries such as Finance, Healthcare, Telecoms, Sustainability, Agriculture, and Manufacturing, while leveraging the convergence of other deep technologies such as AI, IoT, Robotics, and Quantum Computing, with a prize pool of more than $1 million on offer for the winning teams and global participation officially open from August 1 to September 30, 2025, the hackathon tasks applicants to develop blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT)-based, scalable solutions tailored to the continent's most urgent challenges and needs. All solutions will be built on the Hedera network - the world's most energy-efficient and cost-effective DLT, which offers cost predictability, the highest levels of security, and the ability to support reliable, scalable, and enterprise-grade having secured the backing and participation of more than 50 global and regional partners to be announced over the next few weeks, as well as over 100 universities and tech hubs, the hackathon is designed to be the largest of its kind on the African continent. The event will offer extensive technical education, certification, and hands-on support from Hedera-Certified engineers, with hacking stations to be established in cities such as Lagos, Cairo, Nairobi, Kinshasa, Cape Town, Casablanca, and Tunis for in-person collaboration, alongside a fully virtual Hackathon track accessible worldwide.'Africa is home to one of the youngest, most enthusiastic and dynamic tech communities in the world; its future will depend on digitization,' said Kamal Youssefi, President of The Hashgraph Association. 'By equipping developers and entrepreneurs with Web3 skills and next generation toolkits, we're not just solving today's problems, we're shaping the future of decentralized innovation in one of the world's most significant growth markets, fostering a digital future for all through financial, identity, and communication inclusion.'The hackathon aims to catalyze continuous innovation across four key tracks: On-Chain Finance and Real-World Asset (RWA) Tokenisation; ESG Sustainability and Traceability; Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) and AI; and Gaming, Metaverse, & of all skill levels and backgrounds are encouraged to participate — no prior blockchain experience is required. Extensive training resources will be provided through the Hedera Academy, with access to a thriving developer Hashgraph Association and the Exponential Science Foundation will be carrying out awareness and training campaigns to prepare participants for the hackathon before the official start date on August 1st 2025.'Initiatives such as the Hedera Africa Hackathon encourage the next generation of tech builders, researchers, and entrepreneurs. As well as driving blockchain education and innovation within a continent that is showing incredible growth potential. We encourage anyone with an interest in blockchain technology to sign up and start developing the next wave of practical solutions across multiple industries to gain valuable experience and a chance to claim the prize pool. Our hope is that participants will go on to launch their own ventures and share their learnings,' said Paolo Tasca, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of Exponential Science Foundation. The Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025 is operated and supported by a strong network of partners, under the experienced leadership of DAR Blockchain, a Tunisian-based Web3 Hub that has been operating in the Web3 industry since 2017. DAR Blockchain plays a significant role in magnifying the impact of this hackathon initiative across the continent and builds on THA's previous efforts to support blockchain innovation in Africa.
Morocco World
15-05-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
New VSEs Support Program to Benefit 110,000 Small Businesses in Morocco
Doha – Morocco's government will soon launch a new program dedicated to supporting very small enterprises (VSEs). The announcement came Thursday in Casablanca from Younes Sekkouri, Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills. 'This new mechanism aims to support VSEs across multiple areas, such as rent, accounting, or the acquisition of professional equipment, with a target of 110,000 beneficiaries,' Sekkouri stated. The minister was speaking at the first edition of the MSMEs (Very Small and Medium Enterprises) Forum organized by the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM). The event was themed 'Inspire to Transform.' The program will focus on financing operating expenses for VSEs, self-entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs under the CPU regime. With a budget of MAD 1 billion ($100 million), the initiative will be implemented in the coming weeks. Sekkouri stressed the need to strengthen leadership mechanisms, mediation, and information flow for TPMEs. He noted that some small businesses still face inappropriate responses from banking institutions due to a lack of understanding of their specific characteristics. The minister advocated for a more efficient and responsive guarantee system. This system would quickly detect difficulties and provide committed solutions. On financing, Sekkouri acknowledged that despite state guarantee mechanisms, many young entrepreneurs still encounter obstacles to access. A joint commission with the Ministry of Economy and Finance has been established to engage in in-depth consultation with banks. Addressing administrative simplification, the minister flagged the urgency of reforming the commercial and administrative authorization system. He called it a brake on TPME development. Sekkouri pushed for a transition to a model based on specifications, describing it as 'more flexible and better adapted to economic reality.' This strategic project is already underway, coordinating with several work teams to unleash entrepreneurial potential, particularly among young people. Read also: Morocco Records 78,244 New Businesses in First 10 Months of 2024 The minister also revealed that a comprehensive overhaul of the National Agency for Employment and Skills Promotion (ANAPEC) programs is underway. This particularly targets young people without diplomas. Regarding the new Labor Code, Sekkouri affirmed it will be finalized by year-end following a pragmatic approach in consultation with various social partners. 'This new code will, for the first time, regulate remote work and part-time work, opening new professional opportunities,' he emphasized. The TPME Forum featured inspiring testimonials from business leaders and a panel of entrepreneurs from various sectors. They discussed real-world challenges: launch stages, daily obstacles, financing needs, team management, and digital transition. The event also included two masterclasses. One centered around financing problems faced by TPMEs and available market solutions. The other provided tools for small businesses to respond to artificial intelligence challenges and seize opportunities. Through this first edition of the MSMEs Forum, CGEM reaffirmed its commitment to making small businesses a central lever for wealth and job creation. MSMEs represent 95% of CGEM members across Morocco. Tags: MSMEsSmall businesses in moroccoYounes Sekkouri
Maroc
09-05-2025
- Business
- Maroc
Morocco, Nigeria Explore Ways of Boosting Economic Ties
In a bid to bolster economic ties between Morocco and Nigeria and to strengthen cooperation in employment and training, Morocco's ambassador to Nigeria, Moha Ou Ali Tagma, held talks, on Wednesday in Abuja, with the country's Minister of Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha. This meeting, held in anticipation of the Nigerian Minister's incoming visit to Morocco, at the invitation of Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills, Younes Sekkouri, provided an opportunity to review the positive momentum of bilateral ties, which were given considerable impetus since the visit of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to Nigeria in December 2016. This meeting also provided a platform to delve into the remarkable cooperation in several fields, mainly energy, with catalytic projects for regional integration such as the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, as well as to explore ways of exchanging experiences in youth training and employability. Speaking to MAP, Onyejeocha underscored the importance of exploring collaboration avenues between Nigeria and Morocco in training and skills development, to provide the youth with opportunities for better professional integration. She also called for the usage of digital platforms in order to set up appropriate training programs to boost the employability of young people and contribute to economic development. MAP: 08 mai 2025
