Skills for the Future: Preparing Mediterranean Youth through Inclusive and Ethical AI

Recommendations for to the ongoing reflection process for the new Pact for the Mediterranean.

Since taking office in December 2024, the new European Commission has signaled a shift in its Southern Neighbourhood policy. Brussels now speaks of “partnerships of equals” built on shared prosperity.

“Europe must evolve from being merely a payer to becoming a real player.” — Commissioner Dubravka Šuica, confirmation hearing (Dec 2024)

To put that pledge into action Brussels is drafting a Pact for the Mediterranean—a flagship deal spanning investment, economic stability, jobs, energy, transport, security, migration and other areas of mutual interest, such as: digital transformation.

source: Getty

Why Artificial Intelligence?

AI sits at the crossroads of every Mediterranean priority: productivity, clean energy, efficient borders, modern public services. Deployed responsibly it can:

• Add €135 bn to regional GDP by 2030 (OECD estimate).

• Create 350 000+ quality jobs for Mediterranean youth in data, fintech, agri‑tech and green energy‑tech.

• Reduce service‑delivery costs for governments by 20‑30 % through smart gov.

But mis‑managed AI risks widening the urban‑rural gap and accelerating brain‑drain.

Morocco, an emerging digital hub and a bridge between Europe and Africa—offers a compelling partner for a win‑win AI agenda that benefits cities and regions alike while reinforcing Euro‑Mediterranean ties.

Context: Morocco’s Education & Skills Landscape

• Morocco has expanded vocational education dramatically, achieving one of the highest trainee‑to‑population ratios in MENA.

• Yet regional disparities persist, advanced digital training and tech employment remain concentrated in Casablanca–Rabat–Tangier, while interior and southern regions lag behind.

• South–South migration—particularly from sub‑Saharan Africa into Morocco’s labour market—is growing. Future‑oriented skills and AI adoption can smooth legal mobility and unlock cross‑border value chains.

Policy Recommendations

A. Actions for the European Commission 🇪🇺

1. Sector‑Based Cooperation on Digital & AI
   Switch from trade approach to sectoral partnership by launching a Digital & AI Compact focused on data, cloud and AI applications in key value chains (agri‑tech, logistics, renewable energy).

2. Build AI Factories & Gigafactories in Morocco
   Establish EU-Morocco private-public partnerships, through AI Continent Action Plan, to strengthen technological infrastructure by building AI factories and AI Gigafactories in Morocco. For the Pact’s 2nd pillar linked to regional partnerships, EU to coordinate joint initiatives with funding from the EU and the GULF countries given strong ties with Morocco.

3. Incentives Skills Investment through Circular Mobility
   Design targeted incentives for EU tech firms to co-finance and co-deliver digital bootcamps, apprenticeships, and structured job-shadowing placements for Moroccan youth within a circular-migration framework. Participants would gain legal, time-bound work experience in Europe and then return home with new skills and reintegration support.

4. Launch Circular AI Talent Partnerships
   Joint Training Pipelines: Support current AI master’s curricula in Moroccan universities by adding a six‑month practicum in Europe.
   Time‑Bound Work Visas: a three‑year EU “AI Talent Visa” followed by Moroccan re‑entry incentives (seed grants, coaching and support).
   Remote Collaboration Hubs: EU firms establish R&D teams in emerging and youth-focused population regions like Beni Mellal, Agadir and Oujda, fostering brain circulation rather than brain‑drain.

5. Triangular R&D Challenge Fund
   Create a 100M EURO Multi‑donor facility (EU, Morocco) for Euro‑Med‑Africa consortia developing AI solutions for water security, agri‑climate resilience and digital public goods.

6. Mediterranean Forum on AI Ethics & Governance
   Institutionalize an annual EU–Morocco‑Africa platform to align AI standards, share regulatory toolkits and promote trustworthy, human‑centric AI.

B. Priorities for Morocco 🇲🇦

1. Territorial Justice in Digital Investment
   Earmark at least 40 % of EU‑funded digital projects for regions with high emigration rates (e.g., Oriental, Béni Mellal‑Khénifra). Locate new tech parks and digital service centres outside the Casablanca–Rabat axis.

2. Curriculum Overhaul from Primary to TVET
   Implement comprehensive and forward-looking reforms to the national education and vocational training systems to fully integrate digital literacy and advanced AI-related skills into curricula at all levels, from primary education to higher education and vocational programs.

3. Mutual Recognition & Mobility Frameworks
   Champion a pan‑Mediterranean digital‑skills passport to ease cross‑border hiring and internships, starting with France, Spain and Portugal.

4. South‑South Digital Diplomacy
   Expand Moroccan coding academies and fintech sandboxes to West and Central Africa, positioning Morocco as Africa’s inclusive‑growth gateway.

5. Issue a “Morocco Declaration on AI for Inclusive Africa”
   Co‑funded with the EU and AU, the declaration would codify principles on closing the digital divide, protecting linguistic diversity, indigenous population rights and fostering community‑driven AI.

Conclusion

EU and Morocco historical cooperation have the potential to set a precedent for inclusive, ethical and growth‑oriented AI cooperation—one that transforms demographic trends into engines of opportunity rather than drivers of instability. Morocco’s dual identity—as a reformer at home and a continental bridge abroad—makes it the ideal partner for Europe to demonstrate that being a digital leader goes hand‑in‑hand with being a development partner.

A people‑centred AI partnership can thus anchor the New Pact for the Mediterranean, turning shared challenges into shared solutions and ensuring that Mediterranean youth possess the skills, and the prospects, to flourish in a rapidly changing world.

Key Sources

1. MIPA Institute (2024). Labour‑Market Policies in Morocco.

2. CESE (2024). Artificial Intelligence in Morocco: Uses and Prospects.

3. World Bank (2023). Skills Development for Employment: The Role of TVET in Morocco.

4. Morocco Ministry of Digital Transition (2025). Digital Morocco 2030 Strategy.

5. European Commission (2025). AI Continent Action Plan.

6. African Union Peace & Security Council (2024). Communiqué on Ethical, Sovereign AI.

7. World Bank (2023) Skills Development for Employment