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Rabat- Following a year of economic and social instability caused by the COVID-19 crisis, the OCP Foundation implemented a variety of innovative projects and activities aimed at addressing unprecedented global challenges.
The OCP Group is a Moroccan state-owned phosphate mining company, phosphoric acid manufacturer and phosphate fertilizer producer, founded in 1920.
The company has expanded significantly over the years, becoming one of the world’s largest producers of phosphate and phosphate-based products, extending its activities into many other African and Asian countries.
As part of the OCP group’s commitment to social and societal issues, the OCP Foundation aims to create equal opportunities for local communities through strategic initiatives that promote education, research, and innovation.
In order to face the effects of the unexpected health crisis, the OCP Foundation had a significant role in reducing the immediate impact of the pandemic in Morocco’s health, education, and agriculture sectors.
New Virology Center
With the support of the OCP Group and its Foundation, the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and the Pasteur Institute of Morocco (IPM) signed an agreement in April 2020, to contribute to the development of the national virology research field by sharing resources and expertise.
As part of the agreement, the IPM will establish a medical virology center for highly pathogenic microorganisms within three years, for the detection, alert, monitoring and development of new diagnostic techniques. The agreement also includes the creation of a P3 category laboratory able to house research in virology within the UM6P.
The medical virology centers and P3 laboratory will aim to support the emergence of an entrepreneurial ecosystem for cutting-edge research, with a view of strengthening the national biomedical industry.
A call for projects in Research and Development (R&D) was also launched in order to promote the advancement of R&D in virology by uniting the expertise of both the UM6P and the IPM, and to create a special platform for scientists to conduct their research.
“The OCP Foundation has conducted this collaboration with professionalism, efficiency, and effective communication. Our teams are joining forces in order to achieve the best research that will allow us to protect citizens’ health through innovation, professionalism and solidarity,” Professor Abderrahmane Maaroufi, director of the IPM, said.
SILCOVID
The OCP Foundation and UM6P also launched the Social Innovation Lab (SIL), a laboratory that aims to create a strong social impact, by designing initiatives that meet the needs of various communities.
The SIL program is set to include training and skill development, as well as the collection, use and production of data, action research, and integrated social projects.
“SIL’s relevance is directly tied to its role in capitalization around various social actions carried out by the OCP Foundation and UM6P, to disseminate the knowledge acquired and promote new integrated models for social development,” according to Hassan Radoine, director and professor at the School of Architecture, Planning and Design at UM6P.
Remote learning
With remote learning being established as the main learning method following the announcement of the quarantine in March 2020, the OCP Foundation set up several actions in order to ensure pedagogical continuity.
Due to the effectual digitalization via the UM6P, the OCP foundation was able to provide assistance necessary within the educational ecosystem and to promote innovative approaches, which include:
The creation of the National Digitalization and Remote Learning Center, at UM6P, which aims to promote innovation and excellence, particularly in the field of higher education and scientific research. It is funded by the OCP foundation, and it focuses on innovation, digitalization, and educational approaches.
The creation of a teaching guide for distance learning during the quarantine, in collaboration with the Institute of Education Sciences at UM6P, for teachers, students, and parents to provide them with advice and learning techniques to take into consideration while partaking in online courses.
The launch of the “PrepaDigitale” platform, which contains more than 1,500 courses and allows more than 9760 students, teachers and inspectors of public preparatory classes to effectively supervise their preparations for engineering school contests.
The forming of support systems for Sub-Saharan African partners: In the midst of a terrifying viral outburst, the OCP Foundation made sure to provide support systems for Sub-Saharan partners such as Togo, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Madagascar.
In collaboration with UM6P, the foundation was able to produce several guides and tutorials for the manufacture of soaps, antiseptic gels, face masks, and face shields. It also financed the purchase of raw materials for the production of various means of protection against the virus.
The creation of digital platforms to better support the Foundation’s stakeholders, such as CoopLab, a digital E-commerce for Moroccan and African cooperatives, Restore Africa Soils, an exchange platform dedicated to scientific discussions, and Olaya, a virtual aid to Moroccan communities in precarious situations due to COVID-19.
