• Guinea signs education partnership with Morocco under Simandou Academy

• Deal gives students access to UM6P training across priority sectors

• Aims to boost skills amid low higher-education enrolment levels

The Guinean government on Wednesday signed a strategic partnership with Morocco under an agreement between the National Service for Foreign Scholarships (SNABE) and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P).

The signing ceremony was overseen by Djiba Diakité, minister and chief of staff to the president, who also chairs the Simandou Strategic Committee.

The partnership falls under the Simandou Academy initiative, a core component of the Simandou 2040 programme, which aims to develop a highly skilled workforce to support major national projects.

Under the agreement, Guinean students will gain access to programmes ranging from undergraduate to doctoral level, as well as technical and vocational training in fields including engineering, modern agriculture, digital technology, artificial intelligence and renewable energy. The scheme provides academic supervision, tailored support and pathways into employment.

Diakité said the partnership aligns with President Mamadi Doumbouya’s strategy to place high-quality training at the centre of Guinea’s economic and social transformation.

Abou Nabé, deputy director-general of SNABE, said the initiative seeks to prepare the human resources needed to drive economic growth and strengthen the country’s strategic autonomy. By drawing on UM6P’s expertise in applied research and innovation, Guinea aims to build skills aligned with the needs of its priority sectors.

The agreement comes as Guinea faces persistent challenges in developing its human capital. A 2025 report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) shows that gross enrolment in higher education stands at around 9% for men and 4% for women. World Bank data indicate that 34% of young people were not in employment, education or training in 2025, representing about 611,000 people.

In this context, Morocco’s selection as an academic partner is seen as strategic. According to Times Higher Education 2026, UM6P has 379 permanent faculty members, around 1,300 doctoral candidates and nearly 8,800 students from 40 countries, 55% of them women. The university produced more than 6,600 indexed publications between 2020 and 2025 and is ranked among the world’s top 400 institutions, offering programmes that combine applied sciences, engineering and entrepreneurship.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou