Morocco, leading host of data centers in Africa

Morocco hosts currently 23 data centers,becoming the leading host country in Africa,said Global Finance Magazine,affirming that the Kingdom’s desire to secure its data sovereignty has also contributed to the boom of this high-tech & IT business.

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,said the Magazine in its analysis on emerging and frontier markets.

Since then,incentives have been put in place for the sector,including tax cuts and exemptions in the National Charter of Investment. 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.

The country’s regions also compete for hosting Data Centers 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.

“Datacenter location decisions are driven by a complex interplay of factors,including proximity to business hubs,regional infrastructure capabilities,and long-term operational sustainability”,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.