Rabat: Ways to strengthen cooperation in the fields of higher education, scientific research, and innovation were the focus of talks on Monday in Rabat between Morocco’s Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation Azzedine El Midaoui and his Senegalese counterpart Daouda Ngom. During this meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the 15th Morocco-Senegal High Joint Partnership Commission, both parties reaffirmed the depth and strength of the friendship and cooperation between the two countries, based on solid human, religious, and economic foundations.
According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, the two sides also expressed their shared willingness to strengthen this partnership by encouraging the exchange of experiences and best practices, enhancing cooperation and partnerships between universities and research institutions in both countries, facilitating the mobility of students, professors, researchers, and administrators, and promoting scientific and cultural exchange programs.
In a statement to the press on the sidelines of the meeting, El Midaoui said that the talks had provided an opportunity to strengthen cooperation in the areas of student exchanges, sharing experiences, and joint research, as evidenced by the exchange of students between the two parties, with approximately 702 Moroccan students pursuing their studies in the Republic of Senegal, while 1,639 Senegalese students are enrolled in Moroccan institutions.
These ties, the minister added, reflect the strong strategic partnership between Morocco and Senegal, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and President of the Republic of Senegal Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and confirm the firm commitment to enlarging and strengthening cooperation and partnership with brotherly African countries.
For his part, Ngom praised the historic fraternal relations between Morocco and Senegal, particularly in the field of higher education, where Senegal welcomes Moroccan students, while the Kingdom hosts the largest community of Senegalese students in Africa, in addition to the many Senegalese officials trained in Morocco, which reflects the quality of cooperation between the two countries.
Senegal is keen to benefit from Morocco’s experience, particularly in the fields of scientific research, vocational training, engineering schools, and preparatory classes, he said. The 15th Morocco-Senegal High Joint Partnership Commission provides an opportunity to strengthen sectoral cooperation between the two countries through the implementation of structural projects in areas such as agriculture, energy, trade, digital economy, and others.