Morocco has decided to follow fellow African countries in exploring emerging technologies to revive its digital economy, investing more than $1 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain, while on the other side of the world two of the world’s largest food companies have teamed up to pilot blockchain technology to track soybeans from South America to Asia.
Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch recently unveiled the Digital Morocco 2030 strategy, which aims to boost the country’s digitalization efforts, create employment and make Morocco Africa’s top technology hub.
The roadmap aims to strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure and create 240,000 jobs in Africa’s sixth largest economy. This is expected to increase the country’s digital export revenues to $4.2 billion by 2030, while the total contribution to the Moroccan economy is expected to reach $10.4 billion.
Morocco is home to around 1,500 startups, with a total turnover estimated at $200 million, according to a study. This number is expected to double by the end of this decade, with the roadmap promising tax incentives for entrepreneurs.
“Through this strategy, which mobilizes 1.1 billion dirhams between 2024 and 2026, the executive aims to train 100,000 young people annually in the digital field (compared to 14,000 in 2022) and aims to employ 240,000 people in the national digital sector set.” Akhannouch said.
Education is crucial for Morocco to improve its human capital in the digital space, the prime minister said, calling on local universities to triple the number of graduates in digital disciplines by 2027.
Blockchain is one of the technologies in which the country wants to invest heavily. While this will entail regulations that allow private entities to build blockchain applications, the government plans to take the initiative and integrate the technology into public services.
One of the key applications will be the country’s Unified Administrative Services Portal, which combines crucial government services in the education, health and social services sectors. Blockchain is expected to increase security and efficiency, with AI being used in data analysis and aiding in decision-making and automation.
Morocco’s digital ambitions should know no bounds, said Chakib Alj, head of CGEM, the country’s official private sector association, at the launch of the roadmap. Alj called on Moroccan entrepreneurs in the digital space to target the entire continent with their solutions: the Moroccan population is 37 million, the smallest among the top seven African economies.
Morocco has pushed for the adoption of emerging technologies in recent years as the country moves away from an over-reliance on tourism, one of its main employers. This year, the country’s courts began using AI to transcribe judgments, conduct research and retrieve archived materials.
Blockchain for traceability
Bunge Global SA (NASDAQ: BG), a Missouri-based food processor specializing in soybeans, has announced its partnership with Bangkok Produce Merchandising Public Co., a subsidiary of Thailand’s CP Foods, the world’s third largest pork producer.
The two have shipped 365,000 tons of certified deforestation-free soybean meals from Brazil to Thailand, with half of the shipments made in July as they scaled up the pilot project. While CP Foods used blockchain primarily to track its soybeans and ensure they were ethically and sustainably grown, it also gave consumers access to data such as carbon footprint and whether the source farm had integrated regenerative agriculture practices.
The trial aims to capitalize on consumers’ increasing concerns about sustainability in the food chain. A Euromonitor survey shows that two in three consumers are concerned about climate change and are willing to pay more for their food to promote sustainability. Another study from the Boston Consulting Group shows that for 77% of consumers, sustainability is one of the most important considerations when purchasing food.
This trend makes traceability along the entire food supply chain critical for food manufacturers and retailers. Blockchain has emerged as the ideal solution for this sector. The transparent and immutable ledger assures all stakeholders that data has not been altered, which promotes trust.
The BSV blockchain, the only enterprise-ready network, has taken the lead. Solutions like UNISOT are transforming multiple subsectors in the food supply chain at BSV. Its latest product, HalalOnChain, allows companies targeting the Muslim community to prove that their products comply with Islamic law.
For Bunge, blockchain is the ideal tool to build on the end-to-end traceability it has been trying to provide for years, said Rossano de Angelis Jr., the company’s VP of agribusiness in South America. He believes blockchain will significantly increase “end-consumer confidence” in its products.
For now, Bunge is focusing on proving that its soybeans in Brazil have been grown on deforestation-free land. In Brazil, deforestation has been a huge challenge; Studies show that 20% of the 670 million hectares of Amazon forests have been lost to deforestation and that another 20% could be lost by 2030 unless measures are taken to curb the vice.
While the government is responsible for stopping deforestation, food producers and consumers can play a role by avoiding products from deforested areas. Blockchain allows producers to prove that their food has been grown ethically, and Bunge and CP Foods are championing this path.
Bunge may be in the early stages of integrating blockchain into its operations, but we can anticipate the success of its latest partnership, based on UNISOT’s previous demonstration using the emerging technology. UNISOT, a Web3 supply chain sustainability platform, is one of the companies leading the way in integrating blockchain into the supply chain sector, demonstrating the technology’s enormous potential in transforming the seafood market with its SeafoodChain initiative.
Built on UNISOT’s Asset Traceability Platform, SeafoodChain is a blockchain solution integrated with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. This innovative system provides a comprehensive and transparent approach to help companies adopt sustainable practices while ensuring compliance with applicable regulations.
In order for artificial intelligence (AI) to function within the confines of the law and thrive in the face of growing challenges, it must integrate an enterprise blockchain system that guarantees the quality and ownership of data input, making it can keep the data secure while guaranteeing its immutability. of data. Check out CoinGeek’s coverage of this emerging technology and discover why Enterprise blockchain will be the backbone of AI.
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