Global IT vendor, Oracle, has announced plans to expand its research and development (R&D) capabilities in Morocco by growing its local workforce to 1,000 information technology (IT) professionals.

Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle, who made the announcement on Friday, said the investment in the North African country will accelerate the development of Oracle’s cutting-edge technologies that help solve customer challenges worldwide.

“Oracle’s R&D center in Casablanca has already played a critical role in creating technical breakthroughs, enhancing cybersecurity, and delivering impactful new AI capabilities,” said Catz.

“By expanding our R&D presence in Morocco, we can further tap its deep talent pool to accelerate development of solutions that help our global customers grow their businesses and win in their industries,” he added.

Ms. Ghita Mezzour, Morocco’s Minister of Digital Transition and Administration Reform who signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on behalf of the government, said:

“This ambitious project falls within the strategic and comprehensive Royal Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI who called on encouraging Moroccan youth innovation and creativity.

“At this cutting-edge center, young Moroccans will be at the forefront of designing and developing innovative solutions, covering the latest technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing and cybersecurity.

“These solutions will be deployed on a global scale, thus strengthening Morocco’s positioning as a regional digital hub.”

Oracle’s expansion follows the opening of its Morocco Development Center facility at Casanearshore Park in Casablanca, where researchers use Oracle’s cloud, AI, and machine learning technologies to tackle the most pressing challenges facing business, science, and the public sector.

Ethiopia’s low-carbon building startup, Kubik, has announced raising the sum of $5.2 million in seed funding which will enable it carry out its pan-African expansion drive.

Co-founder and CEO of the startup, Kidus Asfaw, who made the announcement, said the expansion plans will allow the company which specialises in the transformation of hard-to-recycle plastic waste into affordable, low-carbon building materials, take its offering to a larger market.

“We turn hard-to-recycle plastic waste into low-carbon, low-cost building materials. Our initial product set includes an interlocking set of bricks, columns and beams that make walls. Our aim is to build clean and affordable living for all,” Asfaw said.

“Our product costs close to 40 per cent less per square metre than traditional cement-based development, is two or three times faster to build with, and requires low-skill labour to build with,” said Asfaw.

“We are seeing growth in sales and continue to find opportunities to use our products in different contexts.

“The uptake so far has been very good, with a clear demand for our solution. We are now focused on increasing production capacity to keep up with demand.”

Asfaw said the plan was to expand into strategic markets in Africa next year and so far, things have already been going well for the startup.

The funding round, he said, follows an exciting growth period for Kubik, during which, among other things, it has launched a new plastic upcycling factory in Ethiopia’s state-of-the-art Adama Industrial Park, and secured several stellar clients including Pharo Ventures and Cornerstone Development Group.

Founded in 2021 by Asfaw and Penda Marre, Kubik produces low-carbon, affordable building materials from plastic waste to tackle Africa’s housing and waste crises.

Kubik recently raised a US$5.2 million seed funding round to help scale operations, making it the first Ethiopian company to raise a multi-million-dollar investment in climate and sustainability solutions. Investors in the round include African Renaissance Partners, Endgame Capital, and King Philanthropies, and the startup will use the funding to help it pursue its pan-African growth strategy

Kubik, whose clients are real estate developers and contractors that have active projects in affordable housing, public infrastructure, and commercial buildings, is addressing the costliness, variable quality, and lack of speed builders currently face using regular cement.