Agadir Brings Together Researchers from Four Continents to Debate Artificial Intelligence, Data Governance and Corporate Performance

The National School of Commerce and Management (ENCG) of Agadir will host, on October 29 and 30, 2026, the second edition of the international conference “Digitalization, Finance, Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” held under the theme “Digitalization and Its Effects on Management, Entrepreneurship and Business Performance,” with the participation of academics, professionals and institutional officials from Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas.

According to the conference’s press release, the program includes 120 presentations and scientific papers approved by the scientific committee, focusing on the opportunities and challenges associated with emerging technologies, with particular emphasis on artificial intelligence applications and data governance, as well as their impact on management and value creation within companies.

The organizers link the holding of this edition to the acceleration of the digital transformation and the growing presence of artificial intelligence in economic and institutional activities, as well as to the challenges it poses in terms of governance, cybersecurity, ethics and sustainability. They also position the conference within the framework of the “Morocco Digital 2030” strategy, with a view to formulating practical recommendations to support a responsible and sustainable digital transition.

According to the announced program, the opening session will feature addresses by the Minister of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transition and Administrative Reform; Amine El Mezouaghi, Director General of the Digital Development Agency; Nabil Hmina, President of Ibn Zohr University; Hicham Mohamed Hamri, Director of ENCG Agadir; and Mohamed El Midouni, Director of the Higher School of Technology, as well as Rachid El Batioui, the conference coordinator, and Allal Achaba, the school’s deputy director in charge of scientific research and partnerships.

On the international front, the communiqué announces presentations by Khaled Al-Saifi, representing the Association of Kuwaiti Researchers; Mary Holz-Clause of the University of Minnesota Crookston (United States); Paulo Águas of the University of the Algarve (Portugal); Ilham Sekkouli Housseini of ISCAE Rabat; Richard Soparnot of Clermont School of Business (France); Benoît Petit of the University of Versailles; and Liliana Ionescu-Feleagă, Dean of the Faculty of Accounting at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies.

The conference will revolve around nine thematic areas devoted to the impact of digital transformation on business performance, the use of artificial intelligence in management practices, and the relationship between emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, economic growth, the circular economy and industry.

Participants will also discuss cybersecurity issues, ethical challenges and the digitalization of financial markets, the impact of technology on communication and major sporting events, as well as the regulation of artificial intelligence in higher education, workers’ rights within the digitalized enterprise, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria.

The program will conclude with a master class, followed by a session presenting the general report and recommendations, and then the presentation of awards for the best papers and certificates of recognition. The organizers are counting on this edition to strengthen scientific cooperation and the exchange of knowledge on digital transformations in the fields of economics and management.