Morocco finished second at the 2026 Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) in Côte d’Ivoire after winning nine medals in one of Africa’s biggest mathematics competitions. The team competed against 159 students from 26 African countries. It won three gold medals and six silver medals.
Akram Lahlou from Abi Al Abbas Sebti School in Tangier-Assilah and Mohamed Cherki from Moulay Youssef School in Rabat each won a gold medal in the main competition.
Nihal El Khadraoui from Settat, Yasmine Ennahi from Salé, Yasmine Zahrou from Tétouan and Yasser Salama from Casablanca each won silver.
The girls’ team also had a strong competition. Nihal El Khadraoui won gold in the Girls PAMO event, while Yasmine Ennahi and Yasmine Zahrou each took silver.
The Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports prepares students through a national programme that identifies talented pupils during the national mathematics olympiads.
Students attend intensive training camps throughout the school year and receive weekly online coaching from the Central Mathematics Olympiad Commission. The programme also prepares them for the PAMO format, which includes two exams held over two days, with each paper lasting four and a half hours.
The ministry congratulated the students, their coaches and members of the Central Mathematics Olympiad Commission for the result.
The latest performance adds to a strong run in international mathematics competitions.
Morocco finished first at the 2024 Pan African Mathematics Olympiad in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a record 201 points.
The team also recorded its best result in 30 years at the 2025 International Mathematical Olympiad in Australia, scoring 106 points and winning two bronze medals.
