Morocco ITO

The Moroccan IT Outsourcing (ITO) services sector offers opportunities to create decent jobs for youth and export growth. Morocco has the advantages of close ties to Europe and a young workforce. On the European market side, there is a growing demand for ITO services. However, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Moroccan ITO sector find it difficult to find and retain young talent. 

In this project, CBI will work with SMEs, ecosystem service providers, and youth to make the Moroccan ITO services sector more competitive. 

Project details

The project started in 2023 and will run until September 2028. Together with public and private sector partners, the project will work to:

• Strengthen the capacity of SMEs to create decent, sustainable jobs for youth;
• Develop services that boost SMEs' export potential, including gaining access to (new) markets and;
• Improve SMEs' human resource activities to better attract, develop, and retain young talent;
• Facilitate opportunities to strengthen ecosystem collaboration that will support (amongst others): 
  - The skills development and work experience of youth; 
  - Matching young talents to ITO SMEs; 
  - Raising awareness on the needs of youth and SMEs.

The project aims to support Morocco's transformation of its IT outsourcing sector into one that provides more employment opportunities for youth.

Youth Advisory Committee

A Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) was launched as part of this project. The YAC consists of seven Moroccans under 30 who are passionate about youth empowerment and the development of the IT sector. The aim is to bring more youth perspectives to the project. The YAC will advise and brainstorm with the project team and its partners on key youth challenges and opportunities in the IT sector. Read more about the YAC on LinkedIn. 

Project goals

The project’s goal is to kick-start the transformation of Morocco's IT outsourcing sector. At the same time, this will reduce the country's youth unemployment. We want to achieve this as follows:

• Strengthen the capacity of SMEs to create decent jobs for youth;
• Develop services that boost their export potential;
• Improve their human resource activities to better attract, develop, and retain young talent.

Project partners

14 SMEs are partners in the project. They receive technical assistance on:

• Their export marketing plan;
• Corporate and social responsibility practices;
• Finding and retaining young talent.

At the moment, there are 3 project partners that play a role in ecosystem collaboration and service delivery. 

During this project, CBI is looking to involve stakeholders and partners that are:

• Pro-active;
• Dedicated to improving the sector;
• Willing to collaborate and share best practices;
• Interested in finding local solutions for sector (export) obstacles, retention and youth employment;
• Focused on creating decent jobs and opportunities. 

Interested?

CBI designed this initiative for ambitious and motivated participants who want to take the next step and embrace sustainable growth in the ITO services industry. This is your opportunity to make an impact.

Would you like to work with CBI to build a brighter future for Moroccan youth and ITO? Please contact us at services@cbi.eu.  

More information

For more information, collaboration, general interest or suggestions on youth employment and capacity building, email services@cbi.eu. 

Meet our project team

Laurien Adriaanse, CBI project manager

Heuda Farah Guessous, institutional expert

André Vording, institutional expert

Amine Zarouk, regional expert

Jack Put, international expert

Khadija Amahal, youth expert