Marrakech – Morocco unveiled a strategic vision for its offshoring sector in late January, aiming to nearly double the industry’s revenue to MAD 40 billion ($4 billion) by 2030. The plan also targets the creation of 270,000 new jobs, according to a recent analysis by Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI).
The sector already employs around 150,000 full-time workers. Service exports, directed primarily toward French-speaking Europe, reached MAD 27 billion ($2.7 billion) in 2025.
But the industry is undergoing a structural shift. Call center operations, long the backbone of Morocco’s offshoring activity, are losing ground – partly due to legislative restrictions in France, the sector’s largest export market. Higher-value digital services are now taking their place.
To meet the growing demand for skilled workers, the government is accelerating training programs and expanding research and innovation institutes such as JAZARI.
Data protection sits at the center of this transition. Omar Seghrouchni, president of Morocco’s National Data Protection Commission (CNDP), stated that data privacy is “at the core of the strategic development of the offshoring sector.”
The commission views data protection not as a barrier to growth but as “an essential lever for building trust and international competitiveness,” according to the GTAI report.
Morocco is working to align its national standards with European requirements, particularly through the pursuit of recognition under the EU’s adequacy framework.
Standard contractual clauses and data bridge mechanisms are already in use to facilitate secure data transfers between Europe and Morocco. The CNDP is also streamlining administrative procedures for businesses operating in the sector.
The strategic recalibration opens direct opportunities for German companies. GTAI noted that Morocco’s push allows German firms to address domestic labor shortages and diversify their service supply chains. Companies traditionally active in automotive supply and mechanical engineering are now expanding into research and development centers.
As software’s share in modern vehicles grows, German suppliers and manufacturers are shifting development tasks, software testing, and validation processes to Moroccan technology parks.
German IT service providers are also using the country as a nearshoring base to build agile development teams. Geographic proximity, a shared time zone, and an increasing pool of multilingual professionals facilitate integration into German workflows.
Several German firms already operate in Morocco across planning, development, and nearshoring. These include Bertrandt AG in product development and testing, FEV Group in automotive testing, Fichtner in energy and IT consulting, and act digital/Alter Solutions in IT consulting and digital solutions, among others.
Morocco’s renewable energy sector presents additional prospects. As a leader in Africa’s energy transition, the country offers favorable conditions for German technology firms developing and testing digital grid management systems.
The ripple effects extend well beyond the offshoring sector itself to bilateral trade. While goods such as textiles, agricultural products, machinery, and vehicles have traditionally dominated, cross-border trade in digital services is gaining weight.
For Morocco, IT and engineering exports represent a critical revenue stream to reduce its structural trade deficit. For Germany, importing these services supports global competitiveness by allowing firms to outsource standard processes and redirect internal resources toward innovation.
GTAI described the current window for strategic investment as favorable, assessing the timing as ripe for German entry.
Morocco’s investment charter offers substantial financial and tax incentives for companies that generate high-value-added and local employment. The German-Moroccan Chamber of Commerce (AHK Marokko) supports market entry and local recruitment for mid-sized German firms.
