Video surveillance was launched over a decade ago in the wake of major infrastructure projects. It was meant to support the emergence of a secure and connected Morocco, where cameras would act as technological sentinels. Yet today, the network remains incomplete. In cities equipped with video surveillance systems, cameras monitor main thoroughfares, certain intersections, and strategic zones—but overlook other areas.

Now, urgency has entered the equation. With the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations just months away and the 2030 World Cup on the horizon, host cities must transition from pockets of surveillance to a flawless security shield.

“Morocco is obligated to complete all projects related to the installation of video protection systems,” explains Abdelali Hachim, Director General of Sphinx Electric, a Casablanca-based company specializing in industrial electrical installation.

AI to secure Rabat

In Rabat, the stakes go beyond mere surveillance for the 2030 World Cup: the goal is to sustainably modernize the capital’s security infrastructure

Rabat is accelerating its shift to a state-of-the-art video surveillance system. The stakes go beyond merely monitoring an event: the goal is to sustainably modernize the capital’s security infrastructure.

The project, overseen by the Local Development Company (SDL) Rabat Région Aménagement, relies on an interconnected framework. The 1,374 new smart cameras will be integrated with two supervision centers and autonomous data centers, enabling real-time monitoring of traffic, public spaces, and sensitive zones.

The SDL has enlisted the company Finatech to implement these infrastructures under a contract valued at 35 million dirhams, according to sources consulted by TelQuel. In parallel, 74 million dirhams will be received by the company Alomra, tasked with installing surveillance and data transmission equipment.

Beyond simple image capture, these systems rely on artificial intelligence algorithms capable of detecting suspicious behavior, automatically reading license plates, and identifying individuals through facial recognition. The surveillance network will include 1,213 long-range IP bullet cameras, 95 IP Dome PTZ cameras, 40 multi-sensor IP Bullet cameras, 18 traffic cameras, and 8 thermal cameras, according to the SDL.

The goal is “to optimize the use of human and logistical resources by automating alerts and accelerating the transmission of information to security services,” it explains. The video surveillance network is expected to become operational within six months—before the first whistle of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Casablanca finally shifts into high gear

Long lagging behind in video surveillance, Casablanca is now striving to close the gap. After years of delays, the metropolis is pushing hard to implement a surveillance system worthy of its status as Morocco’s economic capital. The goal is to have an operational system in place before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and continue its deployment through 2027, according to a source close to the project.

This initiative is not new. Part of the 2015-2020 Greater Casablanca Development Plan, the project initially envisioned a central command post, a video surveillance camera network, and a traffic management system.

Plagued by delays, the project is divided into two phases. The first phase, covering the construction of a dedicated traffic management building and expansion of the existing network (210 cameras), was estimated at 184 million dirhams.

The second phase aimed to scale up the system with 700 new cameras, 200 intersection controllers, 135 km of fiber optic cable, and a data center, with an initial budget of 460 million dirhams. However, the funding proved inadequate.

“It was impossible to deploy a comprehensive video protection system with such a budget. The municipality had to revise its plan after three unsuccessful tenders,” explains Abdelali Hachim. He notes that the average cost per camera is 100,000 dirhams, inclusive of software, hardware, networking, configuration, commissioning, and planning.

In consultation with the Ministry of the Interior, the municipal council increased the budget to 975 million dirhams, bringing the total project cost to nearly 1.2 billion dirhams.

In February 2025, SDL Casa Transports, overseeing the project, awarded the first-phase contract to the consortium Cires Technologies, Tanger Med, and Tanger Med Utilities for 199 million dirhams. This consortium will modernize the command center and data center, replace outdated equipment, and install 150 video protection and facial recognition sites.

A conditional first phase includes adding 100 additional sites and extending the fiber optic network by 50 km. These initial steps are slated for completion days before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, according to Tactis, the French consultancy supporting SDL.

Starting in late 2025, a second wave of installations will cover 135 new video protection sites, with an additional 200 km of fiber optic deployment. Advanced software solutions will be provided to law enforcement, enabling facial recognition, automated license plate reading, abandoned object detection, crowd monitoring, and abnormal behavior identification.

“The system will also ensure perimeter protection of sensitive zones and buildings, as well as detect traffic violations such as crossing solid lines and wrong-way driving,” notes Tactis. The company adds that Casablanca is expected to have a network of 1,263 surveillance cameras by January 2027.

Slowness in cities

“Except for Casablanca and Rabat, other cities have not launched comprehensive video protection contracts, settling instead for restricted tenders limited to specific areas. This approach prevents them from establishing a coherent and homogeneous system,” explains Abdelali Hachim

While Rabat and Casablanca accelerate the installation of intelligent video protection systems, other cities are progressing at a much slower pace. Even for those hosting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), urban surveillance still relies on limited systems deployed mainly on major roadways and managed by the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN).

“Except for Casablanca and Rabat, other cities have not launched comprehensive video protection contracts, settling instead for restricted tenders limited to specific areas. This approach prevents them from establishing a coherent and homogeneous system,” explains Abdelali Hachim.

Some cities, despite being early adopters of video surveillance, have seen their projects slowed or fragmented due to a lack of holistic vision and adequate funding. Fès is a prime example.

The first city to consider an intelligent video protection network, Fès embarked on a project in 2011 to install roughly 265 cameras with a budget of 20 million dirhams. This initiative, led by a French company, never materialized.

It wasn’t until 2018 that a more structured system emerged. That year, Sphinx Electric installed 90 cameras along the city’s main arteries and parts of the old medina at a cost of 10 million dirhams. “The system implemented for the DGSN includes facial recognition and automatic license plate reading capabilities,” notes Abdelali Hachim.

Tanger, meanwhile, continues to strengthen its security infrastructure with over 280 cameras already deployed by Cires Technologies and a dedicated control center. A large-scale project is underway through a partnership between the Ministry of the Interior, the Agency for the Promotion and Development of the Northern Provinces (APDN), the Regional Council, and the urban municipality.

With a budget of 56 million dirhams and overseen by the APDN, the project will install 533 high-definition cameras linked to a centralized control room at the police prefecture. Covering 111 strategic points across 20 kilometers, the system is slated for completion by 2027.

Concurrently, the APDN has launched a tender to equip Tanger’s old medina with an additional 179 cameras, costing 11.6 million dirhams. “The goal is to enhance security in this historic area, curb crime and vandalism, and preserve its cultural and architectural heritage,” says a source within the APDN.

In Marrakech, the implementation of a video surveillance system in the old medina and tourist areas faces budgetary constraints

In Marrakech, the implementation of a video surveillance system in the old medina and tourist areas faces budgetary constraints. The project, led by the Al Omrane Group, involves installing 223 smart cameras, some equipped with facial recognition and artificial intelligence.

“The contract was awarded three times, but none of the selected companies could complete the work, again due to budgetary issues,” shares the Director General of Sphinx Electric. Estimated at 19.3 million dirhams, the project is currently stalled. For now, the ochre city relies solely on the existing DGSN-controlled camera network.

In Agadir, the Local Development Company (SDL) Agadir Souss Massa Aménagement has just launched a tender to install and commission a network of 310 smart cameras. With a budget of 53.4 million dirhams, the project aims to “ensure the protection of the population and public buildings by providing law enforcement with the various functionalities offered by video surveillance,” explains the SDL. The work is slated for completion before the start of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, according to the same source.

Written in French by Younes Saoury, edited in English by Eric Nielson