• Partnership seeks to boost local gaming and gamification solutions
• Program will build a national platform for start-ups across key sectors
• Initiative aligns with efforts to expand Morocco’s creative digital economy

The Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, the Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion (CDG), and CDG Invest signed a strategic partnership on November 13 in Rabat to launch the Gamification Lab program. The initiative aims to support local production and position Morocco in the growing video game market.

The program includes the creation of a national platform to promote and acquire gamification tools developed by Moroccan start-ups. These solutions will be offered to public and private actors in fields such as education, health, culture, employment, and tourism.

According to Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid (photo, center), Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, the initiative is part of the national strategy to support small cultural businesses, especially those active in video games. The minister highlighted the sector’s rapid growth, which now includes around forty start-ups, compared with only two or three in 2021.

The signing follows ongoing efforts by the kingdom to structure the industry. Last May, two agreements were concluded to strengthen training for gaming careers: one to introduce university programs dedicated to video games, and another to create three professional tracks: e-sport caster, e-sport streamer, and video game lab technician.

Across the continent, Africa’s gaming market continues to expand. According to a report published in February by African publisher Carry1st and specialist firm Newzoo, it reached $1.8 billion in 2024, up 12.4 % from 2023. By comparison, global growth was only 2.1 %, highlighting the continent’s strong momentum.

With this partnership, Moroccan authorities aim to support creation, strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and develop skilled jobs, with the ambition of positioning Morocco as a future African hub for the creative and digital economy.