In Russia, Jaber El Maatoui showcases Morocco’s projects and territorial integrity before representatives of 43 African countries
By ALDAR/
Morocco made a notable appearance at the second edition of the Russian-African Dialogue on Raw Materials, held in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, through the participation of Jaber El Maatoui, Vice President of the All-Africa Students Union. During the event, he presented several of the Kingdom’s strategic projects and displayed a map of Morocco, including its southern provinces, on the conference’s main screen before representatives from 43 African countries.
Held this October at Saint Petersburg Mining University, the gathering brought together more than 800 participants, including government officials, ministers, experts, academics and representatives of African countries. Discussions focused on strengthening Russian-African cooperation in raw materials and development.
In his presentation, entitled “From Education to Sovereignty: Empowering the Next Generation of African Engineers,” El Maatoui highlighted Morocco’s experience in industrial development and African cooperation, showcasing several major projects underway across the Kingdom.
The display of a map of Morocco including its southern provinces, notably the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla, was one of the most significant moments of Morocco’s participation in the international event. El Maatoui sought to underscore the Kingdom’s territorial integrity and highlight its strategic position before the audience.
He also discussed several of Morocco’s major development initiatives, including the Royal Atlantic Initiative, Tanger Med port, the expansion of the industrial sector, renewable energy and the national digital transformation strategy. He highlighted Morocco’s potential to strengthen connectivity between Africa and its international partners.
Beyond presenting Morocco’s experience, El Maatoui put forward seven proposals aimed at advancing scientific and engineering cooperation between Morocco, Russia and African countries. These included establishing joint engineering training programmes, creating scientific centres of excellence, promoting research and innovation, facilitating the recognition of engineering qualifications, and expanding opportunities for internships and academic exchanges.
These initiatives are particularly significant given El Maatoui’s position within the All-Africa Students Union, one of the organisations involved in organising the parallel youth scientific forum. This role provided him with an opportunity to present ideas on how Moroccan expertise and Russia’s scientific capabilities could be harnessed to develop the skills of young Africans.
In this context, El Maatoui also highlighted the importance of Morocco’s African-oriented policy, which is based on South-South cooperation. He stressed that investment in human capital and scientific research is essential to helping the continent strengthen its technological capabilities and enhance its autonomy in strategic sectors.
His participation comes amid growing interest in strengthening scientific cooperation between African countries and their international partners. Engineering education, research and innovation are increasingly regarded as key priorities for supporting the economic and industrial transformations taking place across the continent.
Through his participation in this international gathering, Jaber El Maatoui combined the promotion of Morocco’s strategic projects and the defence of its territorial integrity with practical proposals to strengthen scientific cooperation. His contribution highlighted the role of young Moroccan talent in African and international forums.
