Morocco wrapped up its national RamadanIA hackathon, a month-long competition to get young people across the country working on artificial intelligence projects. The event, run by the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, had regional rounds before the final awards. Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid was also there.
Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Minister Delegate for Digital Transition, said the focus was on real ideas and results, not just the ceremony. “We finished with 40 winning projects from all 12 regions.” Four projects got prizes, and ten will be supported through incubation programs to help them grow. Participants pitched their ideas to incubators to turn them into real startups.
Seghrouchni said young people across Morocco are full of ideas. “From the south to the north, east to west, they are willing to innovate and solve real problems,” she said.
The event is part of the Digital Morocco 2030 plan, which aims to make Morocco a tech producer, not just a user, and create 240,000 digital jobs by 2030. Holding events in all 12 regions helps spread tech growth beyond Casablanca and Rabat.
Morocco is building AI support too. Mohammed VI Polytechnic University has a supercomputer, and the AI Movement centre, recognised by UNESCO, focuses on ethical AI and keeping data in Morocco. The country wants to move from basic IT outsourcing to more advanced AI and tech work.
The hackathon’s name, RamadanIA, comes from Ramadan and the French acronym for AI. Developers worked mainly in the evenings after breaking their fast.
