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Rabat – University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) is joining forces with partners like Africa CEO Forum to launch Lead, a new pan-African initiative seeking to boost Africa’s economic potential.
A joint statement said that the partnership also includes the Arab Bank for Economic Development in AFRICA (BADEA) and Afreximbank.
UM6P will host Lead at its Rabat campus to build a network of civil servants that will design and implement public policies that address challenges.
“The initiative responds to a paradox that has defined Africa’s development trajectory over the past two decades,” the statement said, asserting Lead’s commitment to unlock the continent’s potential and close the gaps in public service delivery.
The joint statement acknowledged that the translation of Africa’s growth into approved governance and citizen welfare has lagged behind that of other regions.
UM6P President Hicham El Habti commented on the new initiative, saying Africa lacks the institutional conditions to turn public vision into lasting progress.
He reiterated the university’s commitment to supporting Lead, which he sees as an opportunity to cultivate the skills, networks, and institutional intelligence to drive Africa’s transformation.
“It is about building systems that are responsive, rooted, and future-oriented,” he argued.
Driving economic transformation
CEO of the Africa CEO Forum Amir Ben Yahmed also commended the new initiative, pointing out that such initiatives have proven to be drivers of socioeconomic transformation, especially in the Global South.
These initiatives demonstrate what is possible when “public policy excellence becomes the foundation for development,” he said.
Citing Brazil’s universal healthcare system and Indonesia’s industrial policy, Yahmed argued that these “successes show that well-designed governance can be the definite engine of economic transformation.”
Meanwhile, UM6P’s statement noted that the initiative comes amid a pressing need to meet Africa’s policy challenges.
It recalled the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA), which presents opportunities for economic integration.
But even this potential driver of intra-African integration comes amid persistent challenges, including mature implementation capabilities and policy coordination.
The university’s statement also recalled a new generation of policy challenges, including forecasts that the continent’s population is set to double in 2050. This is in addition to climate change, food insecurity, and the double-edged impacts of the rapid acceleration of AI.
