OMSN: Achieving ‘Digital Sovereignty’ Is Vital for Morocco's International Brand

Rabat – In the past couple of years, achieving ‘digital sovereignty’ across its entire technological environment has become a top priority for Morocco. The North African country aims to acquire autonomy over its data and control its use, as well as use digital platforms to promote Morocco on a global level.

The term ‘digital sovereignty’ refers to one’s ability to personally control one’s own digital footprint. It helps countries regulate and have control over the technology in use, by allowing them to share their data in a controlled manner and restrict its usage.

In an interview with Morocco World News, Mustapha Meloui, who serves as the President of the Moroccan Observatory for Digital Sovereignty (OMSN) stressed the importance of working toward achieving digital sovereignty, saying that it is “vital for Morocco’s international brand.”

In light of the current global health crisis, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic, “the word ‘sovereignty’ has been brought back to the surface,” whether it is industrial, food, and health sovereignty, Maloui noted, saying that digital sovereignty became the “center of interest” of the OMSN.

The OMSN, which is the first Moroccan observatory dedicated to the digital sovereignty of the country, came to be thanks to “cooperation with academics, professionals in data, new technologies, and data management,” Meloui highlighted.

The shift toward digital sovereignty calls for an “efficient structure” that is able to “provide insights, conduct studies, launch roadmaps,” and organize events to promote innovative projects, said Meloui, adding that the OMSN was established to meet those needs.

Hailing the “credibility, notoriety, and significant human capital” the OMSN enjoys, Meloui said: “We are very pleased by the admissibility of this Think tank within the Moroccan digital ecosystem.” A think tank is a group or organization that researches and often advocates on a particular subject, such as technology and economics.

The observatory comprises data engineers, marketers, communicators, and lawyers, a reflection of the OMSN’s commitment to ensuring that its regulatory aspect goes hand in hand with its technological innovation, according to Meloui.

OMSN Objectives

OMSN’s “areas of intervention” revolve around three key points, Meloui noted, with the first and most important objective being pledging for Morocco to achieve a sovereign technological infrastructure. He stressed the importance of attracting investment in terms of data centers and sovereign cloud services by raising awareness among public authorities and companies on the issue.

For Meloui, securing more investment means setting up a technological infrastructure that belongs to Morocco, keeping domestic control over the country’s data.

Because the OMSN has not taken the theme of sovereignty with a “prism” that is purely technical, the company also tackles the cultural aspect of Morocco in cyberspace, OMSN’s president noted. The company seeks to benefit from the enormous growth of digital platforms to promote the country’s image on a global scale.

As Moroccans are widely present on social media, “all the content shared on these platforms must be in favor of the perception and reputation of our country” and its progress, Meloui stressed.

The “diplomacy of influence,” known also as digital diplomacy, is equally important, the OMSN president stresses, saying that digital platforms can be used to defend Moroccan heritage, as well as the country’s cyberspace.

Acknowledging the power social media has in shaping opinions, Meloui said that the OMSN should be used to achieve diplomatic objectives, including defending the “Moroccan Sahara dossier” and promoting “Made-in-Morocco” products and brands.

OMSN Projects

The head of OMSN announced that his organization is preparing for its first national meetings about digital sovereignty, with a “large event” taking place next November. The event will bring together several actors from Morocco’s digital industry with the aim of “defining” the digital sovereignty the OMSN seeks to implement in the country.

The events the OMSN will organize will serve as an opportunity to “explore the digital ecosystem” and learn more about the “state of digital sovereignty in terms of technical infrastructure and human capital.”

OMSN is also working on a culture-related project called “Tamghrabit.” Meloui defines the term Tamghrabit as the set of “values that bring Moroccans together.”

The think tank has also established several partnerships with actors from the private sector. “We are in the process of preparing a series of conferences dedicated to entrepreneurs to raise awareness about the digital transformation” and related fields, Meloui said.

Highlighting the skilled human capital Morocco possesses, Meloui argues that the North African country has the necessary means to take up this “challenge.” He added that the country’s legal framework and regulations are up to date and follow technological innovations.