As Morocco's technology sector grows, Nokia yesterday opened its first Innovation Centre in Africa and the Middle East in Salé, Morocco.

Nokia said the centre will benefit and contribute to Digital Morocco 2030 through enhancing digital skills and promoting 5G readiness across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

The development comes as the North African country increasingly pushes its Digital Morocco strategy, which seeks to transform its economy, with the goal of creating 240 000 jobs in the technology sector by 2030, adding around $10.36 billion to the country's GDP.

Morocco recently announced a number of technology-related projects and partnerships.

In May, Oracle announced additional investments in Morocco. The US-based company unveiled intentions to establish two cloud regions in the North African country.

This month, the North African country established the Tech Trades Complex, which will train young Moroccans in a number of tech professions.

Also, this week, Morocco formed a strategic alliance with the United Arab Emirates' AI71, to advance its digital aspirations.

The Nokia Innovation Centre (NIC), which was unveiled yesterday as a regional hub to serve EMEA, is outfitted with advanced technologies from Nokia's Network Infrastructure portfolio.

The NIC, according to Nokia, will not only benefit but also contribute to Digital Morocco 2030 by playing a pivotal role in advancing digital skills, supporting 5G readiness and fostering innovation across EMEA.

Nokia says in a statement: “As the first of its kind in the EMEA region, the NIC features a comprehensive range of technologies, including IP, optical transport and fibre solutions, housed within a state-of-the-art data centre.

“This facility supports diverse use cases, from 5G mobile backhaul, to data centre fabric and security, and will be a focal point for innovation in critical network technologies, enabling testing, verification, deployment and training of advanced solutions across EMEA.”

Beyond technology, the NIC strengthens Nokia's role within Morocco’s ICT ecosystem by offering practical training to engineering schools and universities, it adds.

“This collaborative platform not only nurtures local engineering talent through certification programmes like service routing architect and network routing specialist, it also provides GenAI integration tools using natural language, contributing to the upskilling and reskilling of young Moroccan talent, aligning with Morocco’s 2030 digital vision,” the company notes.

Ghita Mezzour, minister of digital transition and administration reform, comments: “This centre will not only enhance our position as a regional hub for digital services across EMEA, but will also play a crucial role in developing local talent.

“By aligning with Digital Morocco 2030, the centre contributes to our efforts in advancing STEM education, equipping our youth with the skills they need to thrive in the digital economy, and supporting our nation’s 5G readiness and technological future.”

According to Pierre Chaume, Nokia vice-president of North, West and Central Africa for network infrastructure, establishing the centre in Morocco will serve the company's customers and partners in the EMEA region, while also contributing to the development of local talent and the broader digital ecosystem, which aligns with Digital Morocco 2030.