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Rabat – Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and Deloitte Morocco Cyber Center (MCC) are joining forces to promote research and development in cybersecurity across Africa.
UM6P has signed a cooperation agreement with Deloitte MCC, an expert Moroccan cybersecurity center and a part of the Deloitte global network, with a focus on implementing a high-level scientific and technological research in cybersecurity.
The pair intends to support and train emerging talents to come up with new security solutions. The program will be based on three main pillars, with the first being the development of an academic path – certified and with a diploma – recognized internationally.
The two institutions have also pledged to create research and development programs aimed at boosting innovation, with an ability to adapt to the emerging transformations such as post-quantum cryptography and the use of artificial intelligence.
The program’s third pillar focuses on implementing a professional integration within Deloitte MCC and the Deloitte network.
The program facilitates joint development of expertise, bringing together teams from UM6P and Deloitte MCC, to build a wide range of technical skills while developing strategies and innovative anti-cybercrime tools, such as threat analysis, mentoring attackers, and detecting security-related incidents.
Read Also: Morocco’s DGSSI Detected, Neutralized Over 500 Cyber Attacks in 2021
Hicham El Habti, President of UM6P, said that the university seeks to strengthen its cooperation with the professional world, ensuring technology transfer to African businesses.
“At UM6P, our adoption of digital as a catalyst for innovation is already bearing fruit. Thanks to this adoption, our start-up ecosystem is constantly growing, and our academic curricula in computer science, cybersecurity or artificial intelligence are becoming national references,” El Habti said.
He also stressed that the new cooperation with Deloitte MCC “will contribute significantly to sealing the link between the research field and the professional world in Morocco and Africa.”
Deloitte pledged to support innovation initiatives, training, and skills development in the field of digital security.
Imad Elbaraka, head of cyber activities at Deloitte France and francophone Africa and CEO of Deloitte MCC, said that their partnership with UM6P will help in bridging the academic world to the business, thanks to the support of the public and private sectors.
Elbaraka believes that such partnership “is the only way to create ecosystems able to train and mentor talented people with expertise, while fostering the emergence of new business models for startups and investment funds.”
He concluded, “This dynamic is key to strengthening Moroccan and African digital presence, which is an essential tool to meet the challenges facing the continent.”
