UM6P: the university where Africa's future leaders are trained
The Mohammed VI Polytechnic University has been ranked among the 500 best in the world and is the first in Morocco and North Africa
‘Symbol of a new active, involved, enterprising and ambitious Africa, the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) is a centre of excellence that trains a new generation of committed leaders, builders of the Africa of tomorrow’. These are the words of Hicham El Habti, president of UM6P, to define the spirit and objectives of this educational institution, a leader among universities in Morocco and North Africa.
The university was launched in January 2017, backed by the OCP Group, and is oriented towards applied research and innovation. A stroll through the streets of its impressive campus reveals the magnitude of this educational project, created to lead the way in education and attract talent from African countries to train their leaders and entrepreneurs of the future.
Architectural design
The campus occupies 55 hectares of land in the heart of the future Green City of Benguerir, located about 80 kilometres north of Marrakech and accessible by road and rail, a journey of about 45 minutes.
The first thing that strikes the visitor is the architecture of the various buildings that make up the campus, designed by the Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill and the Moroccan Elie Mouyal, who won the international competition for its construction in 2010.
According to Ricardo Bofill's studio, the building index and the 21-metre height limit made it necessary to create a compact and rational composition, with a geometric organisation based on streets and squares organised around a central axis. ‘The design promotes pedestrian circulation; courtyards, gardens and semi-covered streets bring students and professors together, encouraging intellectual and social exchange and reinforcing the sense of community,’ they explain about the project.
The campus is both modern and classical, combining Moroccan tradition and contemporary design around a unifying pergola at its centre. The square is a vibrant hub of university life: the surrounding stands are occupied by groups of students exchanging ideas or simply relaxing after class. The square has tables and chairs where students can work in the open air, and even a giant chess board for chess fans.
The pedestrian zone running through the centre of the campus, on either side of the square, is the main artery through which the project is structured. On both sides are the student residences (with flats with four single rooms with bathrooms and a common living room and kitchen) and the sports facilities (tennis courts, football pitches, handball courts, volleyball courts, beach volleyball courts... and even a building housing a bowling alley).
At one end of the campus is the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, with a capacity for 200 guests, which opened in September 2023, to accommodate those attending the many events held each year in the auditorium, or family members who come to visit the students.
The attention to detail and cleanliness is exquisite. The campus even has a falconer whose hawk clears the squares and avenues of pigeons and other unwanted birds. On the other hand, sparrows and other small birds that take refuge in the many olive trees that dot the campus bring the sounds of nature, especially at dusk.
UM6P in figures
To assess the scale of the Benguerir university campus (UM6P also has branches in Rabat and Laayoune), one only has to look at the figures. According to the latest figures, UM6P has 7,229 students, 995 doctoral students and 130 exchange students.
It has 42 study programmes, divided into four branches: Centre for Science and Technology (studies in industrial management, computing, green technology, agriculture and architecture, among others); Centre for Human, Economic and Social Sciences (including studies in economics, social sciences, governance and public policy); Department of Business and Management (with studies in collective intelligence, business management and hospitality); and Medical and Paramedical Centre (with studies in medicine, biology and paramedicine).
In terms of fees, they are more affordable than they might seem, given the level of facilities available, although the difference in purchasing power compared to European countries must also be taken into account.
UM6P students pay an annual registration fee of 5,000 dirhams. Tuition fees range from 45,000 dirhams to 130,000 dirhams per year, depending on the course of study and the number of hours of tuition. This amount includes student insurance and access to the Language and Learning Centre.
To this must be added accommodation, between 1,000 and 2,300 dirhams per month, depending on the residence chosen, as well as meals, textbooks and other expenses.
Among the top 500 universities in the world
After only seven years of existence, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University has made it to the top 500 universities in the world, according to the Times Higher Education index.
This organisation scores universities according to four performance indicators: teaching, research, international outlook and industrial innovation. The marks received by UM6P place it as the top university in Morocco and the North African region.
Times Higher Education notes that this university stands out for the strong presence of doctoral students and the relevance of its scientific productivity. As the university itself points out, the aim is to turn Benguerir into the Silicon Valley of Morocco and Africa.
Economically, the OCP Group, Morocco's largest public company and the world's largest fertiliser manufacturer, has played a very important role in the founding of the university.
In fact, the company has increased its presence at the University by fully subscribing to the capital increase carried out in March 2023, which increased UM6P's funds from 22 to 32 billion dirhams.
Not only that: the University also has a financial arm, UM6P Ventures, which was created as a vehicle to promote entrepreneurship and accelerate scientific innovation in Morocco and the rest of Africa.
It is an early-stage venture capital firm that operates two funds: one for digital transformation startups and a Deeptech fund.
Sustainability
Walking around the huge university campus, one cannot fail to notice the care that has been taken to create a sustainable environment: huge landscaped areas contain a representation of the vegetation of the area, with olive trees, various species of cactus, blue agave... A veritable orchard, considering that the area in which Benguerir is nestled is almost desert-like.
In addition, the arrival of each new student is celebrated by planting a new olive tree in the campus grounds.
Sustainability was a priority in the design and construction of the university campus. The measures and resources adopted are numerous and, in some cases, highly imaginative:
- The campus buildings are the first in Morocco to be internationally certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
- The university has photovoltaic panels and thermoelectric installations to heat sanitary water and rainwater collection tarpaulins to irrigate green spaces.
- Effective landscape management is carried out, with a biological control programme aimed at preserving the survival of species to create a sustainable landscape on campus.
- The University has an experimental farm of 110 hectares dedicated to conservation and the development of agricultural technologies.
- There are water fountains in each of the buildings, to reduce as much as possible the consumption of single-use plastics by students and teachers.
- Internal mobility on campus is organised around sustainable means such as electric scooters, bicycles and golf carts. Motor vehicle traffic is limited to the entrance road, where two huge underground car parks are located.
- The campus also has the first intelligent charging station for electric vehicles ‘iSmart’, 100% Moroccan technology.
A privileged environment for those who study there and a seedbed of promise for a more prosperous future both in Morocco and on the African continent.
