The Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), UNESCO, and the OCP Foundation have deepened their joint commitment to Africa with a new $6 million cooperation program set to run over the next three years. Signed by Mostapha Terrab, Chairman of the OCP Group, and Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, this agreement marks a renewed phase in a partnership that began in 2017. The shared vision: drive development across the continent by investing in African knowledge systems, technologies, and cultural heritage.
This next chapter of collaboration views education, science, technology, and culture not as separate domains, but as interconnected pillars of sustainable development rooted in local realities. Implementation will be co-led by UNESCO and UM6P, with operational support from the OCP Foundation.
Over the past eight years, the trio has worked together on initiatives guided by a consistent set of values: empowering local knowledge, nurturing homegrown innovation, and honoring Africa’s cultural wealth. Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all model, the new program is designed as a flexible, modular structure made up of five complementary components—each governed by tailored agreements suited to its specific focus and pace.
Mostapha Terrab described the partnership as a transformative force for Africa, highlighting artificial intelligence as a key tool for cultural empowerment and technological sovereignty. Audrey Azoulay echoed that view, reaffirming that Africa remains central to UNESCO’s mission. According to her, the true challenge is to invest in knowledge systems, communities, and territories simultaneously.
Technology, particularly artificial intelligence, plays a central role in this initiative. One goal is to bring to life the recommendations from the African Consensus on AI adopted in Rabat. This includes building specialized training modules, launching applied research programs, and piloting AI use in public services. The broader ambition is to enable African states not just to use these technologies but to shape them—developing their own standards and institutional frameworks.
Higher education also features prominently in the plan. Through the Campus Africa platform, the program will offer scholarships, mobility opportunities, and joint research supervision, with the aim of fostering stronger collaboration between African universities. The idea is to build university ecosystems that are locally grounded, less dependent on foreign models, and more aligned with Africa’s development needs.
The UNESCO-led General History of Africa project is another key element. The program will help universities integrate this initiative into their curricula through multilingual teaching resources, training for educators, and monitoring tools to ensure effective implementation.
On the cultural front, the Maou’root program seeks to create a pan-African network of conservation professionals. It emphasizes a community-centered, interdisciplinary approach to heritage management, offering targeted training, diagnostic tools, and institutional exchanges to build robust, context-sensitive governance frameworks.
Environmental issues are also addressed through pilot projects in protected areas. These projects aim to test new models of ecosystem restoration that balance biodiversity preservation, climate resilience, and local economic development. The goal is to generate scalable frameworks that reflect the complex interplay between natural systems, social pressures, and institutional realities.
Through this expanded partnership, UM6P, UNESCO, and the OCP Foundation reaffirm their belief that Africa’s progress will depend on synergies between knowledge creation, institutional design, and on-the-ground experimentation.
