FIWARE Global Summit 2025: Driving Smart City Innovation and Sustainability in Rabat, Morocco
The 11th edition of the FIWARE Global Summit (FGS25) marks a historic shift — for the first time, this leading open-source event for digital transformation, policy, and innovation will take place on the African continent, in Morocco’s vibrant capital, Rabat. Hosted in collaboration with the FIWARE Foundation and University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), the summit will bring together a global community of changemakers working to shape the next generation of smart cities.
Held under the banner of “Smart, Sustainable, and Secure Cities”, this year’s edition is set to play a pivotal role in connecting European technological expertise with emerging innovation ecosystems across Morocco and Africa.
A Strategic Summit for a Changing World
As urban populations grow and climate challenges intensify, smart cities have become more than a trend — they are a necessity. The FIWARE Global Summit has long been a forum where policymakers, technology providers, entrepreneurs, and developers gather to co-create open, inclusive, and interoperable solutions that serve the public good.
The 2025 edition gains special significance by aligning with:
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Morocco’s national strategy – Maroc Digital 2030
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United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – especially SDG 11: inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities
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The country’s preparations as a co-host of the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal
In the words of Prof. Aawatif Hayar, Chairman of the Smart Cities Morocco Roadshow:
“We are contributing to a collective ambition: preparing our territories to be smarter, more inclusive, and sustainable. This initiative seeks to mobilize artificial intelligence, local innovation, and citizen engagement to strengthen our urban resilience.”
The Global Community Comes to Rabat
The Summit will gather participants from over 40 countries, including:
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National and local governments from Morocco’s provinces
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Public sector leaders from Europe, including Spain, Portugal, and Germany
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Executives and engineers from leading global ICT companies
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Academics, researchers, and students from Morocco and abroad
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A fast-growing community of open-source developers and city innovators
Confirmed organizations include NEC Corporation, Engineering, Telefónica, Mitsubishi Electric, Libelium, OASC, and Latitudo 40 — each contributing unique expertise in building urban systems that are secure, interoperable, and scalable.
According to Chandra Challagonda, CEO of FIWARE Foundation:
“Hosting the FIWARE Global Summit in Rabat is a powerful statement of intent — to extend the reach of open innovation beyond Europe and into regions driving sustainable digital transformation.”
Program Highlights: Two Days of Impact
The event will offer more than just presentations. Attendees can expect a dynamic agenda across both days with keynote addresses, interactive panels, and immersive training. The program is designed to inspire action, forge collaborations, and accelerate deployment of digital infrastructure in urban and regional contexts.
Day 1 – May 22: Vision and Strategy
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Global Use Cases: How FIWARE-enabled solutions are transforming city management across continents.
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Smart Governance: Leveraging data-sharing, transparency, and AI for modern administration and public services.
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Resilient Urban Systems: Tools for real-time simulation, predictive infrastructure planning, and crisis response.
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World Cup Readiness and SDGs: Using smart technologies to build sustainable legacy infrastructure and enhance tourism, safety, and resource efficiency.
Day 2 – May 23: Deep Dive into Technology and Local Innovation
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Data Spaces and Digital Twins: Trusted, interoperable frameworks for managing city ecosystems and complex events.
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Smart Data Models: How structured context-aware data can improve city services across energy, mobility, and water.
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Best Practices from Morocco: Urban innovation from Benguerir, Berkane, Agadir, Tetouan, and Chefchaouen.
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Academia & Industry Collaborations: Joint initiatives in research, capacity-building, and urban labs.
Developer Training: From Hands-On to Hands-Forward
One of the core pillars of FIWARE’s success is its developer-first approach. At FGS25, a parallel two-day training program will engage:
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Developers
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Software engineers
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CTOs
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Data scientists
The training will dive deep into:
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Using NGSI-LD for advanced context data management
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Real-world applications in machine learning and robotics
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Setting up Digital Twins
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Integrating FIWARE with IoT security systems
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Practical case studies from urban, industrial, and mobility sectors
Participants will leave with certifiable skills and access to a community of peers and mentors building the future of open-source urban technology.
Morocco as a Beacon for Digital Innovation
Rabat’s selection as the host city marks a strategic pivot in how Europe and Africa collaborate on innovation. Through its Smart Cities Morocco Roadshow, the Moroccan government — alongside academic and business partners — has laid the foundation for cities that are inclusive, digitally integrated, and environmentally resilient.
With the Summit as a catalyst, Morocco will strengthen its position as a regional tech hub, ready to scale its digital infrastructure in line with 2030 World Cup goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Registration and Participation
The event is open to all interested in urban tech, open-source development, digital policy, and smart governance.
🔗 For more information and to register:
www.fiware.org/global-summit
📧 Press & Media Contacts:
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Kseniia Chernikova – Communication Manager, FIWARE Foundation – [email protected]
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Salma Bouaissi – Communication Executive, UM6P – [email protected]
About UM6P
University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) is Morocco’s flagship innovation-driven institution. Based in Benguerir and with branches in Rabat, Laayoune, and Paris, UM6P specializes in applied research, entrepreneurial education, and living labs that empower future leaders to tackle Africa’s — and the world’s — greatest challenges.
About the author
The FIWARE Foundation is a non-profit organization driving the development and global adoption of open standards for building smart, interoperable digital solutions. With over 650 members, a global community of developers, and deployment across hundreds of smart cities worldwide, FIWARE enables governments, industries, and academia to collaborate openly and scale solutions responsibly.
