‘Women in Leadership’ to Empower Moroccan and African Women

Rabat – Two major Moroccan universities have announced the upcoming “Women in Leadership” program to promote the inclusion of women in Morocco and across Africa.

The “Women in Leadership” program, which is set to officially launch on March 21, provides Moroccan and African women “with the opportunity to engage in constructive dialogue, reflect on their daily experiences, and demystify the barriers to development in the public and private sectors.”

“Women in Leadership” is the result of a collaboration between Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI) and the Africa Business School (ABS) under the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P).

This announcement was made during a conference debate on women’s leadership with the theme “Women Breaking the Glass Ceiling.” The conference was held on March 3rd and featured prominent figures such as the former Franco-Moroccan Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem and Nigerian Hafsat Abiola, the president of “Women in Africa.”

Awareness about female leadership is the key to achieving diversity and inclusion both in Morocco and on the entire African continent, Vallaud-Belkacem explained. He added that the program aims to support women to deploy their abilities and stimulate their skills in order to take on responsibilities in various areas of society.

The condition of women is the subject of stereotypes, which prevents them from being active decision-makers, Vallaud-Belkacem highlighted.

“These are the disadvantages that we want to avoid by assisting women in overcoming obstacles and achieving the principle of equality in the professional environment,” she said, adding that diversity and inclusion will be one of the areas of work in the “Women in Leadership” program.

AUI President Amine Bensaid stated that the goal of this initiative is to break the glass ceiling among women in order to “contribute within the framework of our skills to this strong Morocco.” He expressed his “fundamental conviction” that the integration of women is an essential condition for the realization of this ambition.

After assuring that AUI has been working for several years to promote the status of women through various university activities, Bensaid indicated that collaboration with UM6P will allow participants to work together to have a widespread impact on the issue.

As a result of this collaboration, AUI and ABS will focus on three areas: training, research, and event organization. As reformers, they seek to promote dialogue and research in order to better prepare future African female leaders for a more inclusive world.