on the sidelines of the Morocco Gaming Industry Expo 2025, the Minister signed a strategic partnership with GXC, a leading South Korean company. This partnership aims to strengthen Morocco’s position as a destination for international investment in the video game industry, a promising sector that is increasingly attracting the interest of Moroccan youth.
The Minister also attended, alongside Yoshiki Okamoto, a global legend in game development, the finals of the Street Fighter competition, a game he originally developed. Organized by the Ministry as part of the expo, the competition concluded with the awarding of cash prizes: 50,000 MAD for the first-place winner, 30,000 MAD for the second, and 20,000 MAD for the third. The event reflected the passion and creativity that characterize Moroccan youth in this field.
As part of the activities of the Morocco Gaming Industry Expo, the Minister welcomed the Guest of Honour, the world-renowned game designer Yoshiki Okamoto, one of the most prominent figures in the history of the video game industry, known for his influential contributions to the development of globally acclaimed games.
The Minister also held a series of meetings with investors and representatives of around 30 leading companies in the sector, coming from France, Germany, South Korea, and Japan. These meetings focused on exploring opportunities for cooperation and investment in the Moroccan market.
These efforts culminated in the announcement of the attraction of two global companies: TA Publishing and Gamearly, both of which expressed their intention to establish operations in Morocco and develop production and training projects in the video game sector. This development highlights the Kingdom’s growing appeal as an emerging hub for investment in creative and digital industries.
The second day of the expo was marked by an energetic atmosphere and exceptional encounters that brought together leading Moroccan and international video game professionals, with a large turnout of passionate fans of the digital world.
The program featured conferences, training workshops, and interactive competitions, along with exclusive showcases from leading companies and promising young developers. Attendees also took part in panel discussions on the future of the gaming industry in Africa and Morocco’s role in advancing this vital sector.
On the morning of Wednesday, July 2nd, Minister Mohamed Elmehdi Bensaid presided over the opening of the second edition of the Morocco Gaming Industry Expo, held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist and support Him. The event was attended by several ministers, ambassadors, and representatives of diplomatic missions, alongside the Guest of Honour for this edition, the renowned Japanese designer Okamoto Yoshiki, one of the pillars of the global video game industry.
In his speech, Minister Bensaid emphasized that the expo, which ran until July 6th, serves as an interactive platform combining training, opportunity creation, and entertainment. It features exhibition spaces showcasing leading Moroccan and international players in the sector, startups and promising talents presenting their latest innovations, as well as workshops, seminars, and esports competitions. This strong participation reflects Morocco’s commitment to developing the gaming industry as a new driver of the digital and creative economy.
This event crowns Morocco’s efforts to strengthen its position as a regional digital hub and encourages Moroccan youth to engage in innovation and production within one of the fastest-growing industries worldwide.
As part of ongoing efforts to support the gaming industry in Morocco, the Boost’in Gaming program is a unique opportunity designed specifically for Moroccan video game development studios. This program offers participants a wide range of benefits aimed at accelerating their growth and achieving success in international markets.
Through this program, participants will benefit from training and strategic advice provided by international experts in the video game industry, helping them develop both their creative vision and business strategy.
The program also offers access to international players to test and improve games before their official launch, providing developers with valuable insights into the global user experience.
In addition, participants will receive personalized support from entrepreneurship experts to help them prepare go-to-market strategies and funding plans to grow their businesses.
One of the program’s major highlights is the possibility to receive funding of up to 500,000 MAD from the Innov Invest Fund to support game development, offering a strong financial boost toward professionalism and sustainability.
To enhance commercial success, the program also helps increase project visibility and exposure, with the goal of attracting international publishers and investors.
The Boost’in Gaming program is implemented by IMPACT Lab in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication and TAMWILCOM, as part of a strategic effort to drive the growth of Morocco’s digital gaming industry.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity! Apply before 25/05/2025 via the following link:
Calling all Moroccan gaming startups, as part of the partnership agreement between the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication and TAMWILCOM, a unique support program is being launched — unveiled during the first edition of the Morocco Gaming Expo in May 2024.
This ambitious initiative leverages South Korean expertise to support the growth of Moroccan talent in the gaming industry.
Apply here : https://lnkd.in/eVB2GErh
Application deadline : May 19, 2025
The Kingdom of Morocco is participating, as the first African country, in a dedicated pavilion for the gaming industry (Gamecrealab), alongside France, Luxembourg, Quebec, Switzerland, and Wallonia. The Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication (Department of Communication), along with the Higher Institute of Audiovisual and Cinema Professions, are partners in this program.
On Tuesday, May 13, 2025, Mr. Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication, and Mrs. Loubna El Arisha, Director General of the Office of Vocational Training and Employment Promotion, signed a framework agreement to keep pace with the dynamic developments in Morocco’s gaming industry. The agreement aims to promote training and enhance professional skills among young people interested in this promising sector.
This partnership also seeks to establish effective collaboration in engineering, digital innovation, and to improve youth employability in emerging gaming-related professions, especially in design, programming, testing, and e-sports.
Under this agreement, both parties will join forces to develop new training programs that meet labor market needs. Cooperation will also focus on qualifying stakeholders and organizing in-company training courses for trainees, enabling them to better understand technological trends, economic models, and user expectations.
Thanks to this close collaboration, the Office of Vocational Training and Employment Promotion will leverage its expertise in training engineering for gaming professions to help deploy programs tailored to the industry’s characteristics. Its divisions will also benefit from specialized training identified by SILAFA (the relevant authority).
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication will work to mobilize all actors within the national gaming ecosystem to ensure the success of this partnership, notably through joint workshops and by connecting the Office with startups emerging in the field to develop appropriate training programs.
The Ministry and the Office will also collaborate to encourage startups in the gaming industry to host and mentor young trainees during or after their training, thereby enhancing their employability and facilitating their professional integration while ensuring acquired skills align with actual labor market demands.
To give strong momentum to this initiative, the two parties plan to launch three qualifying training programs covering the professions of e-Caster sport, sport Streamer, and video game laboratory technician. This partnership reflects the founders’ efforts to build an advanced and innovative national system, marking a significant step toward structuring Morocco’s gaming industry.
On April 16, on the sidelines of GITEX AFRICA in Marrakech, Minister Mehdi Bensaid signed a partnership agreement with OneCloud to strengthen the video game industry in Morocco, particularly through the upcoming Video Game City in Rabat. The agreement aims to jointly develop cloud gaming solutions tailored to the ecosystem of companies operating in the video game sector.
