Morocco, France Launch Video Game Maker Training Program for Youth

Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Culture announced today the launch of Video Game Maker, a training program that will benefit 40 young Moroccans.

The training program is in partnership with the French Embassy in Rabat and was launched during an event at the International University of Rabat (UIR).

The program is part of a Memorandum of Intent that the two countries signed between the two countries during Emmanuel Macron’s State visit in October last year.

The partnership focuses on supporting the creative video games industry, to provide a training program of nine months to enhance youth professional and managerial skills.

The program will start today and will continue until October 3, in order to support participants’ capacity to develop the video game industry in Morocco and boost the country’s position as a key player in the sector.

Minister of Culture Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid said the program reflects the potential of cooperation between institutional and academic partners on both sides of the Mediterranean, making it a model for “what European-African cooperation can achieve.”

The minister identified the industry as an important field full of opportunities in terms of employment.

With the new program, “it is possible to reverse the trend of brain drain because games are the art of storytelling and they draw from our cultures, imaginations, and memories,” the minister said.

For Bensaid, Morocco is capable of producing a high-quality African creative cultural industry that can compete in the global market.

Agnes Omrouzian, the cultural cooperation and action counselor at the French embassy also expressed satisfaction with the launch of the program, noting that this is the result of a joint effort that lasted for many months with the ministry.

Through video games, “we share with Morocco a common belief that these games can play a pivotal role as they combine technological and creative challenges with international cultural diversity challenges, as well as youth employment challenges”, she said.

Karen Hubelaar, the founding director of ISART Digital, talked about Morocco’s potential to become a major player in the video game industry not only in Africa but also internationally.

In May of last year, France and Morocco signed a partnership agreement to boost cooperation in the cultural and creative industries with a specific focus on the video game sector.

Bensaid spoke about the important role of the initiative in establishing a robust video game industry in Morocco.

“This partnership with the French embassy will contribute to the development of the gaming industry in Morocco,” he said.

Data from German statistics Statista said in April that the video game business in Morocco is projected to increase at an annual rate of 9.39% between 2024 and 2027. This resulted in total collective sales of $227.3 million in 2024 and $297.5 million by 2027.

The North African country will be home to 8.4 million video game players by 2027, with a user penetration rate of 19.5% in 2024 and 21.2% in 2027, the website said.