UM6P launched it's Young Leaders Training Program of the World Economic Forum

Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) launched its training module for the Young Global Leaders (YGL) of the World Economic Forum (WEF), under the main theme: Unleashing Africa's potential: Advancing Africa's economic competitiveness in an uncertain world.

Hosting the first cohort of business, public and civil society leaders from over 20 countries on 4 continents from June 19 to 23, this edition was the first annual gathering of its kind to be held in Morocco, and the second in Africa since 2015.

UM6P thus joins the select circle of international universities offering Training Modules for YGLs in collaboration with the WEF, including Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Stanford, Oxford and Singapore's NTU.

Focused on getting to know Africa and understanding its potential, this intensive immersion trip exposed participating YGLs to the geopolitical, economic, technological and environmental realities of Africa through the perspectives of renowned experts.

It was also an opportunity to explore the UM6P and OCP Group ecosystem and their contribution to creating impact in Morocco and on the continent, through visits and interactive sessions in living-labs and start-up incubators in Benguerir and Jorf Lasfar.

The 2023 edition of the YGL education module also featured speeches by Moroccan political and business figures, including Mr Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Trade, Ms Ilham Kadri, CEO of Solvay and Mr Ismail Douiri, Co-CEO of Attijariwafa Bank. Thanks to their respective experiences, participants were able to gain a broad spectrum of perspectives on the opportunities offered by Morocco and the Continent on all fronts.

In closing the module, Mr. Wadia Ait Hamza, Executive Director of the WEF Young Global Leaders Forum, said: "It is essential that decision-makers have the opportunity to challenge their leadership, their knowledge and their decision-making model. Our executive modules enable us to create a space of trust where YGLs come together around strategic themes to improve their knowledge and find common projects. It's crucial in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world that we help our leaders in the private, public, media and academic sectors to challenge their resilience and prepare them to better face the realities of today's world".

Mr. Khalid Baddou, co-director of the YGL program at UM6P, added: "Our hope is that this training module will become an annual focal point for young people's engagement with the issues facing the African continent. Through this collaboration with the WEF, UM6P is reaffirming its commitment to helping reinvent the narrative about Africa and build lasting links between enterprising young men and women from our continent and their counterparts around the world".