Once hailed as Africa’s tech trailblazer, South Africa is now stuck at a digital crossroads while Morocco zooms ahead in the AI fast lane.
Let’s back up a bit. South Africa still boasts world-class research institutions and a buzzing start-up scene in places like Cape Town and Joburg. But when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) – arguably the defining tech of our time – the country is still figuring out which way to go. Spoiler: there’s no national AI policy yet.
A 2023 report by the South African Institute of International Affairs summed it up in three words: nascent, fragmented, underfunded. Not exactly the holy trinity of innovation.
Meanwhile, Morocco is rolling out the red carpet for AI leadership, and the world is noticing.
Welcome to Benguerir, the Green City Making Big AI Moves
In the quiet Moroccan city of Benguerir, something major is happening. The Deep Tech AI Summit – hosted this week by Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) – brought together global AI heavyweights from Google DeepMind, Meta, and top African research labs. It wasn’t just about rubbing elbows. It was about shaping the future.
From water scarcity to food security, the summit explored how AI can solve some of the continent’s most pressing challenges. There was one message on loop: if Africa wants in on the AI future, it needs to not just adopt technology – but shape it.
“Deep tech is Africa’s next frontier,” said UM6P president Dr. Hicham El Habti. “We’re building more than infrastructure. We’re building ecosystems and platforms that support African talent and innovation.”
And they’re not kidding.
Morocco’s Master Plan: Talent + Investment = Leadership
Since its founding in 2017, UM6P has been Morocco’s tech launchpad. It partners with global leaders like MIT, runs a thriving innovation hub called StartGate, and supports African-focused AI start-ups. Their secret sauce? Solve African problems using African data.
“We need a strong African ecosystem. That’s the only way Africa can lead,” said Yassine Laghzioui, CEO of UM6P Ventures.
One standout project is DeepAfrica, a series of large language models built in African languages – an effort to shift AI away from its current English-and-Western-data obsession. Another is AI4Climate, a program using AI to stretch every drop of water in Morocco’s drought-prone agricultural zones.
It all feeds into the country’s Digital Strategy 2020–2025, a tech-forward blueprint where AI development gets prime billing. Add in tech hubs like Technopolis Rabat and Casablanca Finance City, and Morocco’s ecosystem is looking sharp.
Meanwhile, in South Africa…
South Africa isn’t out of the game – far from it. Its Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR) still punches above its weight in machine learning, natural language processing, and AI ethics. And its start-up scene is booming: in 2023 alone, South African start-ups pulled in over $500 million in venture capital, with fintech, healthtech, and agritech leading the charge.
Accelerators like LaunchLab, AlphaCode, and Grindstone are nurturing the next wave of founders. But there’s a missing piece: national coordination.
Unlike Morocco’s unified, government-backed push, South Africa’s approach is… let’s call it “every department for itself.” Without a shared roadmap, scaling AI solutions nationally is like trying to launch a rocket with no launchpad.
Africa’s AI Moment Is Now
It’s not just Morocco and South Africa in the game. Nigeria is making waves in fintech with Flutterwave and Andela. Kenya’s AI scene is thriving on a foundation of mobile tech and innovation hubs like Nairobi’s iHub. Rwanda is experimenting with AI in healthcare, using drones to deliver medical supplies and monitor diseases.
But leaders at the Deep Tech AI Summit had a clear message: Africa’s tech success won’t come from one country going it alone.
“We’re still early in this journey,” said Laghzioui. “Collaboration will take time, but it’s essential if Africa is going to lead.”
So, where does that leave South Africa? Still in the race – but it might be time to pick up the pace. The infrastructure is there. The talent is there. The world-class research is there. Now it needs the playbook to match.
Because in the age of AI, the continent’s future won’t just be coded. It’ll be co-authored.
