Oracle opens Morocco R&D centre in Africa expansion plan

US computer technology company Oracle has opened a seven-floor research and development centre in Morocco as part of an expansion plan targeting North Africa and other parts of the continent.

Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch on Wednesday inaugurated the facility in Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city and its business centre.

The facility, designed to accelerate innovation in the fields of artificial intelligence and cloud computing, includes collaborative workspaces, an auditorium, a restaurant, separate gyms for men and women, meeting rooms and prayer rooms.

Newspapers in Morocco said on Thursday that the centre employs more than 300 young Moroccan engineers, developers, and technicians and that there are plans to increase them to 600 by the end of 2025 and more than 1,000 by 2027.

Morocco has been the target of global companies seeking to take advantage of an expected business upsurge ahead of the 2030 Fifa World Cup.  This is despite escalating geopolitical tensions in the wider Middle East that have intensified as a result of the Israel-Iran conflict.

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Electric vehicle maker Tesla said this month it has officially entered the Moroccan market with the launch of a local agent. Its CEO, Elon Musk, was also reported early this year to be seeking an agreement with Morocco for the deployment of his Starlink satellite internet services.

Press reports said in March that Starlink has already entered negotiations with the government to launch a project in the disputed desert Sahara region.

The project could bring significant dynamism to Morocco’s southern provinces by providing high-speed satellite-backed internet, the report said.