Dakhla, future venue for the International Forum on Youth and Leadership
The Moroccan city of Dakhla has been chosen to host the next Global Youth Leadership Forum (GYLF), an international forum on youth and leadership with its permanent headquarters in the Spanish city of Santander (Community of Cantabria), which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. Its promoters have therefore decided to organise an edition dedicated to the African continent in southern Morocco, in the capital of the Dakhla Oued Eddahab region.
To this end, an important Spanish institutional delegation made up of members of the Executive Committee of the GYLF Spain Forum and leading political figures from both Cantabria and Andalusia visited Dakhla from 13 to 16 May to begin preparations for this important event, which will bring together several young leaders from various African, European and American countries.
According to Jacobo Pombo, president of GYLF Spain: "Dajla offers the best conditions for hosting this international event. Over the last few days, we have been able to see for ourselves the great progress that has been made in the city and the region in terms of transport infrastructure and tourist facilities. We have also been able to hold several meetings with the local authorities, who have offered us all the support necessary to ensure the success of this first edition of the GYLF Africa Forum...We have no doubt that it will be a forum with a major media and social impact, not only in Morocco and neighbouring countries, but also internationally. To this end, we are counting on the collaboration of local civil society, represented by the organisation Sahara Horizons, our strategic partner for the development of projects in the Maghreb and Sahel region."
The members of the Spanish delegation held several working meetings with the heads of the Regional Council of Dakhla Oued Eddahab, the mayor and councillors of the city council, as well as with several elected officials and businesspeople from the city. The members of the GYLF Spain executive also had the opportunity to present the forum to students at the national school of commerce and management in Dakhla, as they will play an important role in the activities planned as part of the organisation of this important international forum in this city on the Moroccan Atlantic coast.
The president of GYLF Spain's partner organisation in this initiative is Sahara Horizons, an international organisation based in Dakhla and operating mainly in the countries of the Greater Sahara, including Mauritania and the Sahel countries. Its president, Fatima Bekkar, expressed the pride felt by local civil society in being able to organise this event of global importance in one of Morocco's most important cities, which, in addition to currently hosting one of the country's most important projects, the construction of the Dajla Atlantic port, is also home to an important diplomatic community represented by 17 consulates from countries in both Africa and Latin America. The president of this organisation also emphasised that the forum has the support of all local administrations and will undoubtedly be a great success.
The teams from both GYLF Spain and Sahara Horizons are already working on the organisation of this international forum in Dakhla and, as a first step, have appointed Nourdine Mouati, an expert in institutional cooperation and business development, as general coordinator of the event and GYLF delegate for the African continent. The Global Youth Leadership Forum Africa in Dakhla will be attended by several ministers of youth and culture from various countries, as well as leading figures from the political, academic, business and sports worlds who are true international role models for young people.
