Rabat: The Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI) organized on Wednesday the second conference on the theme ‘Sport, Football and African Integration’ as part of the activities of the AMCI Fan Zone set up on the occasion of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON Morocco 2025).

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, this event was organized within the framework of the ‘Inspire and Debate’ conference series and was aimed at international students and graduates in Morocco. It is part of the Kingdom of Morocco’s commitment, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to support African youth. This conference series serves as a platform for exchange, debate, and inspiration around sport, football, and the major challenges facing the African continent.

The second conference in this series, themed ‘Sport, Football and African Integration,’ was held in the conference hall of the International University City of Rabat, under the supervision of AMCI. The event drew over 250 participants, inclu
ding African ambassadors accredited to the Kingdom of Morocco, senior institutional officials, private sector stakeholders, and international students.

The meeting was inaugurated by Mohamed Methqal, ambassador and Director General of AMCI, and featured several distinguished speakers. Among the speakers were Younes Sekkouri, minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills, Abdelmalek Alaoui, economist and Founder and CEO of GUEPARD Group, Cedrick Esteban Aghey, director of Legal Affairs and Compliance at the Confederation of African Football (CAF); Franciny Samba, Head of the FIFA Regional Office, William Mbiakop, founder of the African Sports and Creative Institute (ASCI), and Umubyeyi Ernestine, a Rwandan student participating in the ‘Sahraouiya’ women’s sports raid held annually in Dakhla.

Discussions during the conference underscored the strategic role of sport, particularly football, as a significant driver of African integration, a means of uniting people and a vehicle for promot
ing values of solidarity, inclusion, and South-South cooperation. Speakers emphasized the importance of public policies, institutional partnerships, and investment in youth to make sport a sustainable vector for development and continental cohesion.

The conference was also marked by engaging exchanges between students and speakers on various topics, including youth employability through careers in sport and football, mobility and training opportunities in Africa, the role of sport in social inclusion and peaceful coexistence, as well as prospects for sports cooperation and partnerships in support of African integration.

Through the ‘Inspire and Debate’ conference series, AMCI reaffirms its commitment to active and solidarity-based South-South cooperation, placing youth, dialogue, and sharing of experiences at the core of its action, in line with the Royal Vision for an emerging and sustainable Africa.