Latest news with #YounesSekkouri
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.
Morocco World
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Morocco Pushes for Scalable Global Action to End Child Labor
Rabat – Morocco urged the international community to explore practical, adaptable solutions to eliminate child labor worldwide, drawing on its own progress in tackling the issue. Speaking in Geneva on Wednesday, Younes Sekkouri, Minister of Economic Inclusion, shared Morocco's experience during a high-level meeting held to mark the 2025 World Day Against Child Labor. 'Morocco has taken concrete steps, and we are still moving forward,' Sekkouri said. 'By hosting the sixth global conference on child labor in February 2026, we hope to influence change far beyond our borders.' Morocco has recorded a 55% drop in child labor since 2017. In 2023, around 110,000 children aged 7 to 17 were found to be engaged in economic activity, roughly 1.4% of that age group. The majority of these children, about 60%, worked to support their families, often in rural areas. Although such work may not always fall under formal definitions of child labor, Sekkouri insisted that it should no longer be tolerated. He pointed to several levers behind the country's progress. Chief among them is Morocco's rollout of universal social protection. Today, the program supports around seven million children and looks to remove the economic pressures that drive families to put their children to work. The government has also expanded access to early childhood education. A nationwide push to make preschool available to all children aged four and up has relied on partnerships with civil society groups and a flexible model tailored to local realities. 'Investing in early education gives children a chance to thrive, not work,' Sekkouri said. He also noted the importance of strong governance. Morocco has strengthened its inspection systems, worked closely with the judiciary, and adopted key international conventions and protocols. Despite these gains, Sekkouri acknowledged the deeper challenge of turning successful national models into global solutions. 'We need to understand what allows local strategies to expand and address the problem globally,' he said. 'This is where the international conversation must go.' He called for more multilateral partnerships to support creative, context-sensitive approaches. 'No country can solve this alone,' he added. The event, organized by Morocco's Permanent Mission and the International Labour Organization (ILO), took place alongside the 113th International Labour Conference, running from June 2 to 13 in Geneva. The gathering brought together ministers from Asia, Latin America, and Europe, as well as senior ILO officials and development partners. It also saw the launch of a new joint ILO-UNICEF report offering updated global data on child labor. The findings sparked discussions on how to speed up progress and meet international targets. The ILO, for its part, renewed its call for countries to ratify Convention No. 138 on minimum working age and to fully implement Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labor. Tags: child abuseChild LaborMoroccoMorocco child labor
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
Morocco World
24-05-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Smart City Morocco: A Roadmap for Resilient, Inclusive, and Tech-Driven African Cities
Marrakech – From May 21 to 23, Morocco hosted Smart City Morocco RoadShow & Expo 2025/2030, a pivotal event in the journey toward smart, sustainable urban development. Jointly organized by Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique (UM6P), Casa Events & Animation, and the FIWARE Foundation, the initiative marked a dynamic convergence of innovation, research, and collaboration, driving forward the transformation of Moroccan and African cities. Held across Casablanca, Rabat, and Benguerir, this mobile forum served as a platform for cross-sector dialogue, technological demonstration, and inclusive policymaking. In alignment with the aspirations of King Mohammed VI, the event embraced the vision of resilient, connected, and equitable urban environments, all while preparing for the global spotlight of the FIFA World Cup 2030, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal. The RoadShow kicked off in Casablanca with the 9th edition of Casablanca Smart City, themed 'Smart NexGen Cities: Innover pour une métropole durable et inclusive.' Reinforcing Morocco's role as a continental hub for smart city innovation This edition spotlighted smart mobility, large-scale infrastructure management, and civic participation. Two standout initiatives — the Casablanca Smart City Hackathon and the Village des Startups — provided fertile ground for entrepreneurs, developers, and innovators to propose and showcase solutions aimed at enhancing urban life. Rabat took center stage for the FIWARE Global Summit, hosted for the first time outside the European Union. Taking place on UM6P's Rabat campus, this segment welcomed tech leaders from companies such as Telefonica, AWS, NEC, Mitsubishi Electronics, Red Hat, and Libelium, alongside international delegations. Discussions focused on Open Source standards, digital interoperability, cybersecurity, and AI applications in public governance, reinforcing Morocco's role as a continental hub for smart city innovation. The RoadShow culminated in Benguerir with the African Smart Cities Forum, a gathering of policymakers, academics, and urban practitioners. The forum addressed structural transformation, youth employability, public-private-citizen investment models, and digital equity. Welcoming participants to the final stage, the President of UM6P delivered a forward-looking keynote, encapsulating the event's vision. 'This Roadshow was conceived as a space for d He highlighted UM6P's role as a bridge between scientific research and societal impact, underlining the importance of projects like the Digital Twin Smart Campus @UM6P, developed in collaboration with NVIDIA, Dell, and Akila. Need for bottom-up collaboration In a significant policy-oriented intervention during the closing ceremony in Benguerir, Younes Sekkouri, Morocco's Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment, and Skills, called for smart cities to become a national and local governance priority. He emphasized the importance of bottom-up collaboration involving NGOs, corporations, startups, and institutions, noting that integrating smart city strategies into formal policy frameworks is crucial for unlocking long-term resources and impact. As Morocco prepares to introduce a new labor code supporting remote work and flexible employment, the Minister positioned smart cities as critical enablers of a more adaptive and inclusive labor ecosystem. The Smart City Morocco RoadShow & Expo 2025/2030 embodied a powerful message: the future of African cities must be co-created through inclusive governance, interdisciplinary collaboration, and grounded technological innovation. With institutions like UM6P and committed policymakers like Minister Sekkouri at the helm, Morocco is not just preparing for global events; it is laying the foundation for a new, citizen-centered urban era. Tags: Benguerir MoroccoSmart citiesd UM6P
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
