This year's summit encourages collaborative experimentation and real-world experiences. Photo: Umamah Bakharia/ Mail & Guardian
South Africa, once considered a continental leader in science, technology and innovation, has found itself at a crossroads in the era of artificial intelligence (AI).
Despite its globally recognised research institutions and thriving tech start-up scene in cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg, the country has yet to implement a coordinated national AI policy or roadmap.
A 2023 report by the South African Institute of International Affairs describes its AI governance as “nascent, fragmented and underfunded”, limiting the country’s ability to scale solutions nationally.
In contrast, Morocco is making a bold play for tech leadership on the continent.
In the heart of Morocco’s burgeoning “green city” of Benguerir, a quiet but powerful shift in Africa’s tech landscape is taking place.
The Deep Tech AI Summit, hosted by the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), this week brought together African and global leaders in AI to discuss the transformative power of deep technologies.
The summit promised to be more than a networking event, signalling a wider ambition — Morocco’s drive to become Africa’s leading tech hub.
At the event, speakers from Google DeepMind, Meta and African AI research labs unpacked how AI can address issues critical to the continent, from climate resilience and water scarcity to agricultural productivity and health diagnostics.
A key topic in the discussions is sustainable development — how deep tech, if steered ethically and inclusively, could support long-term economic growth on the continent.
Dr Hicham El Habti, president of UM6P, described deep tech as “Africa’s next frontier”, saying that the continent must not only adopt, but also shape, emerging technologies.
“Morocco is investing not just in infrastructure, but in talent, research and cross-border collaboration,” he said at the opening ceremony on Thursday.
“[Africa’s] potential needs infrastructure. Talent needs ecosystems. Vision needs platforms. This is what we are building here at UM6P and what this summit exemplifies.”
Morocco’s progress is rooted in strategic government investment and an emphasis on research, with UM6P as a cornerstone of this strategy.
Founded in 2017, the university collaborates with global institutions like MIT in the US and supports a growing number of tech start-ups through its innovation hub, StartGate.
According to the CEO of UM6P Ventures, Yassine Laghzioui, StartGate prioritises solving African challenges using local data and research.
“We need a strong African ecosystem. This is the only way to make Africa lead,” Laghzioui told the Mail & Guardian on the sidelines of the summit.
One flagship example is DeepAfrica, a UM6P-led initiative developing large language models in African languages. It was produced in response to the dominance of English and Western data in AI systems.
Morocco has also launched “AI4Climate”, a programme using AI to optimise water use in agriculture, a critical issue in the drought-prone Maghreb region.
South Africa’s own Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research — a collaboration between the universities of Pretoria and KwaZulu-Natal and other partners — continues to produce world-class research in natural language processing, machine learning and ethics in AI.
And its start-up ecosystems, supported by accelerators such as LaunchLab, AlphaCode and Grindstone, position the country well for innovation.
But the absence of a whole-of-government approach has hampered its ability to translate innovation into national policy and coordinated progress.
Morocco’s gains in the AI and deep tech space have been propelled by such an approach.
The Moroccan Digital Strategy 2020-2025 includes AI development as a key pillar, with funding directed to research, infrastructure and innovation hubs.
The government’s partnership with UM6P — a university created by the state-owned phosphate giant OCP Group — has enabled sustained investment in AI labs, technology transfer offices and start-ups targeting Moroccan and African markets.
Tech clusters such as Technopolis Rabat and Casablanca Finance City form part of this ecosystem.
Beyond Morocco and South Africa, AI is gaining traction across Africa.
Nigeria is a rising star in fintech innovation, with companies like Flutterwave and Andela, according to global audit assurer PwC.
Kenya’s AI scene is growing, supported by mobile infrastructure and innovation centres such as iHub in Nairobi. Rwanda is experimenting with AI in healthcare through drone delivery and disease surveillance.
Laghzioui added that Africa’s growing tech ecosystem requires collaboration between countries.
“We have just started the university, so we should not expect quick results or collaboration. It will happen over time,” he said.
Despite its challenges, South Africa retains several structural and economic advantages that position it as a potential powerhouse in the continent’s tech ecosystem.
In 2023, local start-ups secured over $500 million in venture capital funding, with fintech, healthtech and agritech attracting the most interest.The journalist’s attendance at the Deep Tech AI Summit is sponsored by Mohammed VI Polytechnic University.