Morocco's data-center buildout: sovereign storage for Sub-Saharan markets
Morocco is raising funds to build new data centers across the country to position itself as a regional storage hub for Sub-Saharan Africa. The plan is anchored in digital sovereignty, a point stressed by Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Minister of Digital Transition and Administration Reform.
Since a 2021 law required all sensitive data to be hosted on national soil, Morocco has moved ahead on data infrastructure. The next phase is to grow capacity through fresh investment and partnerships.
Flagship facility: Dakhla (500 MW by 2030)
The government plans a 500 MW data center in Dakhla, in the Sahara region, running on renewable energy by 2030. It will host Moroccan data and serve markets in the Sahel, including Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and Ivory Coast.
"AI is really about technological, political and geopolitical sovereignty," Ms El Fallah Seghrouchni said at a conference in Paris. She added that submarine cables along Morocco's coast linking Europe and Africa will enable export of data services to the Sahel.
View regional subsea cable routes
Funding snapshot
- Estimated build cost: ~$54 million; annual run cost: ~$5.4 million
- Funding mix: Government budget, Mohammed VI Investment Fund, and state-owned Caisse de Dépôts et de Gestion
Rabat facility: 50 MW in Technopolis
A smaller 50 MW site is planned in Rabat's Technopolis industrial zone. Proximity to ministries is the driver: "Most of Morocco's administration is in Rabat. There will be a data centre as close as possible to the administration," the minister said.
AI in public services: accessibility first
Integrating AI across public administration is a priority under a newly launched African-Arab digital transformation hub with the UN. The focus is to digitise paperwork and enhance citizen services with AI.
In regions with high illiteracy, voice-first interfaces can help users complete tasks. "AI and generative AI can make digital services much more accessible to a segment of the population that does not normally have access to these services," Ms El Fallah Seghrouchni said, citing prototypes that scan documents and explain their content.
Regional cooperation and the D4SD program
Morocco and the UN launched Digital for Sustainable Development (D4SD) in September during the UN General Assembly in New York. The program carries a $38 million budget over three years, with $8 million from Morocco and $1 million from the UN.
Priority use cases include digitising handwritten documents across African countries. Project announcements are expected next year.
What IT and development teams should track
- Data residency: Workloads hosting sensitive information must remain in Morocco under the 2021 law. This also creates a sovereign option for Sahel clients requiring African hosting.
- Network design: Plan routes via Morocco's coastal subsea cables and model latency to Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and Ivory Coast.
- Energy strategy: The Dakhla site will run on renewables. Forecast energy pricing, capacity availability, and cooling approaches for desert conditions.
- Capacity planning: Roadmap around 500 MW (Dakhla, by 2030) and 50 MW (Rabat) to phase migrations, colocation, or sovereign-cloud builds.
- Govtech proximity: For workflows tied to ministries, Rabat hosting can reduce latency and simplify inter-agency connectivity.
- Inclusive UX: Add voice commands, OCR, and summarisation to make public services easier to use for non-readers and multilingual populations.
- Partnerships: Monitor public-private opportunities via the Mohammed VI Investment Fund and CDG as facilities progress.
Next steps
- Map data classifications and confirm which systems must be hosted in-country.
- Benchmark current latency to Sahel endpoints and simulate routes via Moroccan hubs.
- Pilot voice-first service flows (document scan → explain → submit) for high-impact citizen journeys.
- Engage early with facility operators on power contracts, SLAs, and sustainability reporting.
- Upskill teams on AI service delivery and governance. See AI courses by job for structured learning paths.
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