Morocco has surpassed South Africa as the leading host of data centers in Africa, with 23 facilities.
The North African kingdom has adapted quickly to the digital age. In 2020, the Agency for Digital Development published a roadmap listing digital infrastructure as a priority. Since then, incentives have been put in place for the sector, including tax cuts and exemptions in the National Charter of Investment. The desire for data sovereignty has also contributed to the boom in data centers. A 2021 law ordered all sensitive data to be hosted within Morocco’s borders, which led to data repatriation.
Currently, most data centers are owned by telecom companies like Maroc Telecom and Inwi or by data center operators like Medasys and N+One. Most large banks also have one, while smaller banks lease data storage space.
Regional governments compete by offering different incentives. Casablanca-Settat and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra boast the most data centers. The full internet penetration rates of these urban centers and energy availability are key for these sites. Other regions are catching up, too. Last year, American firm Iozera signed a $500 million deal to build a data center in Tetouan.
“Datacenter location decisions are driven by a complex interplay of factors, including proximity to business hubs, regional infrastructure capabilities, and long-term operational sustainability. The industry naturally gravitates toward areas that optimize these variables,” says Doha Ammour, vice president of International Business Development at N+ONE Datacenters.
The digital wave in Morocco doesn’t stop at data centers. Developments in fintech, AI, and even e-government initiatives, like Digital Morocco 2030, were recently showcased at April’s 2025 Gitex Africa tech expo in Marrakech. The event drew over 1,400 exhibitors and received over 45,000 visitors and delegates from over 130 countries.
The saying goes, “Data is the new oil.” Data must also be refined and properly stored. However, unlike oil, data is infinite and even self-replicating, so the demand for data services will continue to increase.
