Agadir – Tangier is emerging as the center of the continent’s digital future, hosting the 58th Session of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development (COM58).
Under the theme of “Growth through Innovation: Harnessing Data and Advanced Technologies for Africa’s Economic Transformation,” the summit brought together the continent’s top finance leaders to address budgetary constraints through high-tech solutions.
Representing the Minister of Economy and Finance, Mohamed Tarik Bashir, Acting Director of the Treasury and External Finance, held high-level talks on harnessing technology.
In his opening remarks, Bashir described technology not just as a tool for efficiency, but as a fundamental lever for national sovereignty and economic competitiveness.
He pointed to the “unprecedented acceleration” of shifts in Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data, and green technologies as the new engines for Africa’s strategic sectors, ranging from industrial output to modernized agriculture.
The ‘Moroccan Model’ of digitalization
According to Bashir, the country has made impressive use of technology to boost public finance.
Over the past five years, Morocco has registered an exceptional increase in its tax revenue. Through the use of technological innovations to boost domestic resource mobilization, Morocco has been able to enhance its fiscal space amid global economic challenges, Bashir explained.
Beyond the numbers, Morocco’s digital strategy is focused on people, Bashir noted, pointing to how the E-government and fintech platforms have helped bridge the financial inclusion gap for those without access to banking services as well as the African diaspora community to ensure financial inclusion.
The COM58 summit, which took place in Tangier, is set to create the Ministerial Declaration Roadmap. This strategy calls on African states to double down on digital infrastructure and innovation-led growth.
