In order to implement the spirit of the speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, in which he proposed that "China will work together with African countries to further advance the Future of Africa China-Africa Vocational Education Cooperation Plan and jointly establish schools of engineering and technology", and to promote the cultivation of overseas outstanding engineering talents by building the university's overseas education system while supporting Chinese enterprises in going global, on May 22, Zhao Xianfeng, Secretary of the CPC YSU Committee, led a delegation to visit the Moroccan School of Engineering Sciences and CITIC Dicastal Morocco Co., Ltd. Together, they held a preparatory meeting for the establishment of the "YSU-Morocco School of Engineering and Technology". The delegation included heads from the University's Office of Admission and Employment, School of Mechanical Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, and School of International Education (European Institute), among other relevant departments.
The preparatory meeting was attended by Hassan FILALI, Honorary CEO of Honoris United Universities, Mohammed EL RHABI, President of Moroccan School of Engineering Sciences (EMSI), Mohammed SENHAJI, HR Director of CITIC Dicastal Morocco Co., Ltd., and leaders from relevant participating institutions.
Zhao Xianfeng noted that EMSI stands as the benchmark for engineering education in North Africa. It leads the way in sustainable development across the continent through pioneering research in cutting-edge fields such as "Smart Cities" and "Desert Eco-engineering". "Despite the geographical distance between our two universities," Zhao remarked, "we share the common mission of our times - leveraging technological innovation to tackle development challenges." CITIC Dicastal is one of YSU's most important scientific research partners. Dicastal Morocco Co., Ltd., a flagship example of "China's Intelligent Manufacturing" going global and the first "Lighthouse Factory" on the African continent, is actively contributing to Morocco's green industrial transformation. Zhao expressed hopes that the two universities and CITIC Dicastal Morocco Co., Ltd. will work together to establish a new model of university-university-enterprise cooperation, with the YSU-Morocco School of Engineering and Technology serving as the collaborative platform to expand the "Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering Technology Research Initiative", deepen targeted research collaboration, advance the cultivation of globally competitive engineering talents, and jointly develop a high-level Chinese-African scientific and technological education cooperation platform with international influence.
YSU and EMSI sign a cooperation agreement
YSU, EMSI and CITIC Dicastal Morocco Co., Ltd. sign tripartite university-university-enterprise cooperation agreement
During the preparatory meeting, the two universities signed the comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement, and the three parties signed the university-university-enterprise cooperation agreement. In-depth discussions were carried out and consensus was reached regarding specific details including the School's enrollment size, academic programs, talent cultivation schemes, and internship/practical training arrangements.
Launch meeting of the international talent cultivation cooperation program
Following the meeting, the delegation was invited to visit CITIC Dicastal Morocco Co. Ltd. - Africa's first "Lighthouse Factory", accompanied by Badr LAHMOUDI, President of the company. During the tour, the two parties carried out intensive discussions on programs such as internships and practical training, as well as the joint cultivation of students by dual mentors from both the university and enterprise.
Upon its establishment, the YSU-Morocco School of Engineering and Technology will primarily leverage the resources of EMSI and CITIC Dicastal Morocco to cultivate globally competitive engineering talents through a tripartite university-university-enterprise collaboration model that precisely addresses industrial needs. The School will establish a comprehensive talent development system encompassing "enrollment-education-internship-employment" pathways, while creating an international education paradigm that integrates "teaching chain-innovation chain-industrial chain" - thereby providing a replicable model for enhancing the quality of overseas educational operations. At the same time, by leveraging YSU's disciplinary strengths, the School will support the global expansion of Chinese enterprises through cultivating outstanding engineers with international perspectives, ultimately injecting new momentum into the scientific and technological education cooperation and exchange between China and Africa.
Afterwards, the delegation visited Morocco's SANA Education Group, where the Agreement on "YSU High-Quality Student Source Base in Morocco" was signed and a plaque was awarded. This marks the University's first overseas high-quality student source base in Africa, aiming to build a reservoir of prospective students for the forthcoming YSU-Morocco School of Engineering and Technology.
Plaque-Awarding Ceremony for "YSU High-Quality Student Source Base in Morocco" at SANA High School Morocco
During the tour, the delegation also visited some other universities including Université Hassan II in Morocco, and Altınbaş University and Biruni University in Türkiye. Cooperation memoranda were signed with each of these institutions respectively.
The delegation's visit has solidified existing cooperative foundations, and expanded the University's international education presence in North Africa. It holds significant importance for enhancing the university's international education capacity, advancing the construction of "Double First-Class" Initiative, and contributing to the national Belt and Road Initiative. Going forward, the University will further deepen industry-education integration to establish a globally influential benchmark for China-Africa higher education collaboration. This initiative will provide robust talent support for Chinese enterprises' overseas expansion while contributing YSU's distinctive strength to building a China-Africa community with a shared future.
