5 days ago
Morocco to Celebrate National Day for Citizens Abroad with Digital Focus
Marrakech – Morocco will celebrate its National Day of Moroccans Residing Abroad on August 10 under the theme 'The Digitalization Project: A Lever to Strengthen Proximity Services for Moroccans Living Abroad.'
This annual celebration, established in 2003 by King Mohammed VI, aims to strengthen bonds between Moroccan expatriates and their homeland.
The event will focus on digitalization as a means to improve services for Moroccan expatriates. Celebrations will take place across various prefectures and provinces throughout Morocco, coordinated by the Department of Moroccans Residing Abroad and the Ministry of the Interior.
This approach enables expatriates visiting Morocco during summer to actively participate in the festivities. As of August 4, over 2.78 million diaspora members have entered Morocco as part of Marhaba 2025, an operation facilitating the transit of travelers during the summer season.
This year's national day celebration provides an opportunity to present achievements and challenges in digitalizing services for Moroccans abroad. It will feature public policies and sectoral programs related to digital transformation while gathering feedback from expatriates about their service needs.
The celebration will promote the exchange of ideas and the sharing of best practices among various sectors and public and private institutions involved in service digitalization.
Furthermore, the commemoration seeks to strengthen ties with the diaspora, foster dialogue, and revive their attachment to their country of origin. It creates space to value their contributions, listen to their aspirations, and encourage their involvement in Morocco's development.
The Moroccan diaspora, estimated at more than 5 million citizens living in over 100 countries, remains a focus of royal attention.
Since 2003, the department has selected relevant and current themes for this celebration, addressing expatriates' rights and interests as well as their contributions to Morocco's development. Topics have included mobilizing skills, encouraging investment, services and rights, and issues related to women, youth, and more.
This year's focus on digitalization reflects the growing importance of digital transformation in Morocco, in line with the country's broader 'Digital Morocco 2030' strategy aimed at positioning the kingdom as a regional tech leader.
Moroccans living abroad are a key force behind the country's progress
Beyond the national day celebration, the department recently organized the 16th Summer University from July 5-13 in Rabat. This program, which has welcomed nearly 4,000 participants since its 2009 launch, hosted 300 students aged 18-25 from about 30 countries this year.
Activities included conferences, thematic workshops, meetings on investing in Morocco, sports as a development lever, and visits to historical sites.
The department also celebrated Throne Day with approximately 100 skilled professionals and investors from the Moroccan diaspora representing about 60 countries.
A meeting titled 'Moroccans Residing Abroad: Essential Lever for Morocco's Development' accompanied this celebration, featuring representatives from the Office des Changes and the 13th Region of Moroccan Entrepreneurs of the World within the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises.
In 2024, remittances from Moroccans living abroad totaled 117.7 billion MAD ($11.7 billion), marking a 2.1% increase compared to 2023. This upward trend continued into early 2025, with remittances exceeding MAD 9.45 billion ($950 million) in January alone.
These consistent inflows highlight the Moroccan diaspora's vital economic role and the government's ongoing efforts to reinforce ties with its global citizens.
Through various initiatives, Morocco aims not only to preserve strong connections with its diaspora but also to harness their financial contributions, expertise, and investment potential as a strategic pillar of national development. Tags: Moroccan diasporaMoroccans resident Abroad
