Morocco’s Ministry of Equipment and Water on Thursday presented the progress made by the PÔLE TEC technology hub during its first year of operation and outlined its roadmap during an event held at the Hassania School of Public Works in Casablanca.
Held under the theme “Technology Hub: Strong Foundations, Open Path,” the meeting reviewed achievements since the hub’s launch on July 11, 2025, highlighting its role in supporting Morocco’s technological sovereignty.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka said the initiative reflects the ministry’s ambition to go beyond its traditional role of managing infrastructure by also contributing to knowledge production, technical standards, technological development and innovation.
Baraka said strengthening national expertise in data, technology, technical references and human capital has become essential to improving Morocco’s resilience, reinforcing its strategic autonomy and supporting the long-term transformation of the water and infrastructure sectors.
He added that the ministry aims to build an integrated ecosystem bringing together education, scientific research, engineering, testing and technological innovation, with the goal of turning research into practical solutions for challenges facing water resources, infrastructure resilience and the digital transformation of the ministry’s activities.
The technology hub forms part of the ministry’s Vision 2040 strategy. It was established as a public-interest consortium to bring together the ministry’s different entities under a unified governance framework that supports scientific research, technological innovation, knowledge transfer and strategic monitoring.
Abdel Fattah Sahbi, the ministry’s secretary-general and president of PÔLE TEC, said the hub’s first year focused on establishing its governance structure, strengthening its administrative, legal and financial framework, and launching several applied research projects in strategic fields.
He also stressed the importance of closer cooperation with institutional, academic and scientific partners to make the hub a driver of innovation, technological sovereignty and sustainable development.
For his part, Jawad Boutaher, director of the Hassania School of Public Works, said the event marked one year since the hub’s launch and provided an opportunity to review progress, particularly in scientific research and innovation.
Boutaher said the hub brings together three main components—the Hassania School of Public Works, the Public Laboratory for Testing and Studies, and the Engineering and Development Council—to build on their combined expertise and strengthen research and innovation.
The event also featured presentations of nine scientific research projects covering priority areas including water, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, digital twins and advanced technologies. Led by teams of researchers and experts, the projects aim to develop practical solutions to key national challenges.
Construction also officially began on the hub’s Scientific Tower, a flagship facility designed to host research, experimentation, training and scientific collaboration while bringing together research teams and innovation projects under one roof.
The event was attended by Minister of Transport and Logistics Abdessamad Kayouh, Casablanca-Settat Regional Council President Abdellatif Maazouz, as well as representatives of public and private institutions, professional federations and academia.
