Morocco-EU cooperation is gaining momentum with the EU backing of three new projects aimed at boosting creative & creative industries (CCIs) in the Kingdom.
On Tuesday, Moroccan minister of Youth & Culture Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid and EU ambassador to Morocco Dimiter Tzantchev presided over in Rabat the signing ceremony of these selected initiatives designed to strengthen the CCIs ecosystem as a lever for economic development and social inclusion of young people.
They will directly prop up young Moroccan creators by supporting the acceleration of entrepreneurial projects, co-creation with European partners, and access to information for project development.
The first project “IQLAA your cultural accelerator” led by Africalia with the Hiba Foundation and the French Institute, will support youth-led CCI companies through an acceleration program dedicated to strengthening their ambition and ensuring their economic sustainability.
The second project, “Hi-Fenn connect, create resonate”, spearheaded by the Goethe Institute with the Ali Zaoua Foundation and Wallonia Brussels International, will strengthen exchanges between Moroccan and European creative ecosystems, by promoting co-creation, the sharing of expertise and the emergence of concrete collaborations.
The third project, “Creative Morocco Gate”, submitted by the Hiba Foundation with the Association of Independent Radios and Televisions (ARTI), offers a support platform for entrepreneurs in the sector, by facilitating their access to information, networks and opportunities necessary for their development.
These three projects demonstrate the shared will Morocco and EU to support the development of a solid cultural and creative ecosystem, by associating the public, private and associative sectors.
Morocco’s creative economy includes film industry, audiovisual, music, crafts, design and fashion sectors as well as gaming, and digital arts.
According to IFC report, Morocco’s creative and cultural industries contributed around 2.4% of GDP in 2022 and generated approximately $ 4.6 billion in revenue in 2023 (including informal and nonprofit activity), supporting more than 116,000 jobs across roughly 9,500 companies. The report also underscores the sector’s inclusion potential, with women holding about 34% of CCI jobs — often higher than in many other productive sectors.
The report finds that growth is constrained by limited access to finance, gaps in intellectual property protection and monetization, and insufficient revenue.
