Rabat – Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) has taken a significant stride towards empowering youth and driving Africa’s economic competitiveness with the launch of its Global Young Leaders (YGL) training program.
In collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF), the initiative was launched under the theme “Unleashing Africa’s Potential: Advancing Africa’s Economic Competitiveness in an Uncertain World.”
From June 19 to 23, UM6P hosted the inaugural gathering of business, public, and civil society leaders from over 20 countries spanning four continents.
The event marked not only the first annual assembly of its kind to take place in Morocco but also the second to be held in Africa since 2015.
UM6P now joins an elite group of international universities, including Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Stanford, Oxford, and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU), offering specialized training for YGLs in partnership with the WEF.
The primary objective of this intensive immersion training program was to acquaint participants with Africa’s diverse landscape and its untapped potential. Through the expertise of experts and thought leaders, the young leaders gained insights into the geopolitical, economic, technological, and environmental realities of the continent.
UM6P and OCP ecosystems: Creating impact in Africa
Additionally, the young leaders had the unique opportunity to explore UM6P and OCP Group ecosystems, which contribute significantly to Africa’s growth and development.
They engaged in interactive sessions and visited living labs and start-up incubators in Benguerir and Jorf Lasfar, enabling them to witness firsthand the innovation and impact being created in Africa.
The 2023 edition of the YGL education module featured speeches from Morocco’s Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour, CEO of Solvay Ilham Kadri, and co-CEO of Attijariwafa Bank Ismail Douiri.
Leveraging their rich experiences, the speakers provided the young leaders with diverse perspectives on the vast opportunities presented by Morocco and the African continent across all sectors.
Concluding the event, Wadia Ait Hamza, Executive Director of the WEF Young Global Leaders Forum, emphasized the importance of creating a platform where decision-makers can challenge their leadership styles, broaden their knowledge, and explore collaborative projects.
Emphasizing the world’s volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (also known as VUCA), Ait Hamza stressed “the need to equip leaders from various sectors, including the private, public, media, and academic domains, with the resilience and preparedness necessary to tackle the realities of today’s world.”
Echoing these sentiments, Khalid Baddou, co-director of the YGL program at UM6P, expressed hope that this training program would become an annual focal point for young individuals to engage with the issues shaping Africa.
UM6P’s collaboration with the WEF reflects their commitment to reshape the narrative surrounding the continent and forge enduring connections between enterprising young men and women from Africa and their global counterparts.
By empowering the next generation of leaders and fostering a network of collaboration, UM6P’s Global Young Leaders program aspires to drive Africa’s economic competitiveness and unleash its full potential, positioning the continent as a global force in the uncertain times that lie ahead.
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