Latest news with #SIF
Morocco World
4 days ago
- Business
- Morocco World
Enactus Morocco's SIF 2025: Youth-Driven Innovation Lights the Way to a Greener Future
Casablanca – A spark in Casablanca this week, and it's not just from the July sun. It's the spark of a new generation of young Moroccans turning sustainable ideas into powerful realities. At the Grand Mogador Hotel on Wednesday, the semi-finals of the 6th edition of the Sustainable Innovation Fest (SIF) unfolded with sharp ambition, entrepreneurial fire, and a promise: Morocco's future is not waiting, it's building. The event , organized by Enactus Morocco in partnership with SPARK as part of the EU-funded Green Forward initiative, gathered students from across the kingdom, 12 finalist teams out of 145 clubs, to compete for a chance to represent Morocco at the Enactus World Cup in Thailand. A marriage of vision and action to inspire change From the hotel lobby to the conference hall, the air was alive. Young entrepreneurs networked, practiced pitches, and swapped ideas, while inside, juries were briefed on their mission. The MC laid it out plainly: 'Innovation is not invention, it's action. Judge not just what was said, but what was done and what will surely be done.' He reminded jurors that Enactus doesn't interfere in projects but fosters growth through guidance. 'Be direct. Be fair. Push them to become great leaders.' And greatness followed. In League 1, FST Mohammedia opened with a vision to tackle student housing challenges through a three-pronged innovation: 'Aji Nkriw,' an affordable housing solution, 'CoTalib,' a student-centered consulting service, and 'NutriVital,' a line of sustainable snacks and eco-bags for youth. FP Larache followed with a powerful initiative: 'Tijwal,' a tourism platform reconnecting rural Morocco with visibility and economic opportunity. Their second project increased the market value of Moroccan salt production, raising prices from 1,000 MAD/ton ($100/ton) to 2,500 MAD/ton ($250/ton), and from 2.5 MAD/kg ($0.25/kg) to 92 MAD/kg ($9/kg), to benefit local craftsmen. But the spotlight belonged to ENSA Tangier, whose seamless presentation highlighted four distinct projects. From transforming textile waste into new crafts and upcycling fig leaves and flowers into teas, to a mental health platform rooted in social inclusion, the team embodied cross-sectoral sustainability, from circular economy to psychology. From the audience, students expressed admiration. 'Each team had a unique energy,' Yasmin, a Moroccan high schooler, told Morocco World News. 'The passion, the synergy, the presentations… unforgettable.' Her friend Marwa agreed: 'The way they pushed each other, the public speaking, it was beautiful to watch.' A Saudi college student in attendance echoed the sentiment: 'The organization was amazing. I was particularly inspired by the team tackling water pollution and the other pushing for economic growth in rural areas by supporting small companies there.' After a lunch break, the festival's tone shifted to reflection and collaboration with the Agora de l'Innovation, a cozy space designed for connection. Couches, stands of former Enactus projects, game stations, and a DJ playing in the background made it feel more like a campus than a competition. But in the heart of the room, critical conversations were taking place. Three roundtables focused on green tech, carbon footprint reduction, and seizing sustainability opportunities. 'Don't wait to be told what to do' The Agora's keynote came from Saad Abid, founder of Bahri Association, who delivered an emotional and action-driven speech. He began with the story of Mouad, a young boy who died after stepping on a tuna can at the beach, 'A victim of our pollution, our carelessness,' Saad expressed. He then challenged the youth in the room: 'Don't wait to be told what to do. Push for teaching kids to vote and take initiative in any way. Build Morocco. Build Moroccans.' 'Over 27 million people will die by 2050 due to climate change, and nearly a billion will be displaced,' warned Saad Abid. 'We must fight climate injustice, and stand for humanitarian causes like the Palestinian struggle. Build Morocco. Build Moroccans.' With those words, he ignited a room full of young changemakers. In a Q&A, Saad told MWN: 'Choose a field you love. Do it for free. For a cause. Keep doing it. Let your added value grow into purpose.' He closed with: 'Even if you fail, try. Even if they punch you in the face. Just start. Do it with intention. Be so great, others around you become great.' Gen Z's quest: clean and impactful Later, Jihane Maklouki, Marketing and Communications Head at Flormar, brought a corporate lens to sustainability in her speech. 'Gen Z is a clean generation,' she said. 'They look for clean products, clean lives, and clean impact. When we launched our limited edition green collection, it resonated so much we had to make it permanent.' Her advice? 'Be a change ambassador. Represent the change. Inspire the change.' As the event wrapped up with a live podcast and final roundtables, one thing was certain, this event wasn't only about the competition, it was rather a greater movement. As one participant from Enactus FSJES Ain Chok told MWN: 'I truly don't see this as a normal competition , it's one that pushes me to grow and develop my entrepreneurial spirit. Enactus taught me to believe in my ideas, my self-worth, and what I can do for society.' SIF 2025 is a stage for solutions. A classroom for collaboration. And a mirror reflecting a new Morocco led by the very people shaping it.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
SBI MF enters SIF space with new offerings under 'Magnum' brand name: Dy MD
SBI Mutual Fund (MF), the largest fund house in India, is set to enter the specialised investment fund (SIF) space under the 'Magnum' brand. The fund house, which recently received the licence, is exploring products in the equity and hybrid space, said D P Singh, Deputy Managing Director and Joint Chief Executive Officer, SBI MF. The fund house said it chose the name Magnum considering the existing brand association. Many of SBI MF's earlier schemes carried the Magnum name. 'We have sufficient in-house talent with a large and highly experienced investment team, and we plan to leverage on the expertise of our existing team for managing the investment strategies under SIF,' Singh said. SBI is the fifth fund house to announce a foray into the SIF segment. Edelweiss, ITI, Mirae Asset and Quant are the other fund houses that have secured licences. Other players like Axis and Nippon have also announced their plans to enter the space. Most fund houses planning to launch SIFs have opted to rely on their existing fund management teams. SIFs are a new product segment within the mutual fund framework that offers fund managers more flexibility in terms of investment strategy. These funds, which have a minimum ticket size of ₹10 lakh, can be equity, debt or hybrid in structure. 'SIF strategies are more suitable for evolved investors who understand the markets and their technicalities, and for investors who are keen on investment strategies that are more advanced than mutual funds,' Singh said, adding that wealth counters of banks, individual and national distributors are best placed to distribute SIFs. The current SIF rules allow up to seven SIF products: two each in equity (equity long-short, equity ex-top 100 long-short, and sector rotation long-short), hybrid (active asset allocator long-short and hybrid long-short), and debt (long-short and sector long-short) categories.
Morocco World
7 days ago
- Business
- Morocco World
Enactus Morocco Launches Sustainable Innovation Fest 2025
Enactus Morocco kicked off its sixth annual Sustainable Innovation Fest (SIF) yesterday in Casablanca, bringing together hundreds of student entrepreneurs to celebrate innovation and compete for the chance to represent Morocco at the global Enactus World Cup in Thailand. The three-day festival, co-financed by the European Union and organized in partnership with Spark and other collaborators, opened with a focus on social entrepreneurship and sustainable innovation. 'Today [Tuesday] we are launching the Sustainable Innovation Fest 2025,' said Saif Eddine Laalej, Enactus Morocco's Operations Manager. 'During the next three days, we will celebrate youth, celebrate the Moroccan entrepreneurship and innovation, and also host many different panels, live podcasts, many Agora activities under the Green Forward program.' The opening day featured a panel discussion on green innovation, a live podcast session, and the first round of student team presentations as competitors pitched their sustainable business ideas to panels of expert judges. Green technology at focus The festival's focus on environmental innovation aligns with Morocco's broader economic strategy and the interests of its young population. Salma Karim, Head of Human Capital and Innovation at the Agency of Digital Development, participated in a panel during the opening day's green technology panel. 'Today was the first day of the Sustainable Innovation Fest organized by Enactus,' Karim explained. 'It was an occasion to discuss during a panel the opportunities of green tech and its impact on the Moroccan economy.' Karim pointed out the natural connection between Moroccan youth and environmental technology. 'We highlighted the fact that Morocco's youth is very interested in technology and environment and it's a great occasion to catalyze this interest in terms of concrete business opportunity for the Moroccan youth,' she said. Student teams present water conservation solutions Among the competing teams, several focused on addressing Morocco's water challenges through innovative approaches. Jihane Amira from Enactus FSJES Sale presented, along with her team, the Aqua Charbon project, which addresses water conservation issues. 'Today we assisted the first day of SIF 2025. It was all great,' Amira said. 'First of all, we presented our project Aqua Charbon that related to the competition. Moroccan water race. It was great. It was great competition. The competitors were great too.' Her team will advance to the semi-finals, which take place on the second day of the festival. 'Tomorrow [Wednesday] will be the semi-finals, and I hope this year we'll take the champion with us,' she noted. Another water-focused project came from Jaber Yassine, a finance student at the Polydisciplinary Faculty in Larache. His team developed Bio Remede, also focused on water preservation. 'Me and my friends and my team, we have an idea called Biomed and it's about preserving water,' Yassine explained. 'We are honored to reach this stage of this competition and we thank all the staff and Enactus Morocco for this.' Beyond competition: learning and development For many participants, the festival represents more than just a competition. Yassine pointed out the developmental value of the experience. 'It's not about winning, even I know it's a competition, but it's not about winning more than reaching this level and show to everyone how we can reach with our ideas and our developing ideas,' he said. The opening day's programming reinforced this educational aspect. Amira commended the quality of the panel discussions and podcast sessions. 'The first of the day had the panel. They were so great. We learned so much, so much information with a lot of experienced people. And then we had the podcast. We had the pleasure of attending the podcast with Mr. Yassine and his guest. It was all great.' Road to Thailand The competition will culminate with the national finals, where one team will earn the right to represent Morocco at the Enactus World Cup in Thailand. Laalej noted that the festival will determine 'who will represent Morocco at the International Nexus World Cup in Thailand during the national Morocco finals.' As the festival continues through July 10, participants will engage in additional panels, workshops, and the Innovation Agora, where teams can showcase their projects to a broader audience. The event demonstrates Enactus Morocco's commitment to fostering entrepreneurial thinking among the country's university students while addressing pressing environmental and social challenges. The opening day's success suggests that Morocco's young entrepreneurs are ready to tackle complex challenges through innovative business solutions, positioning themselves as leaders in the country's transition toward a more sustainable economy. Tags: EnactusEnactus MoroccoMoroccoSustainable innovation
ITV News
08-07-2025
- Health
- ITV News
Senior doctors at Belfast Trust raised concerns over culture 18 months ago
Senior doctors at the Belfast Trust raised serious concerns about the culture within the organisation and its impact on staff wellbeing 18 months ago, UTV can reveal. The doctors warned that some medics were so upset by their treatment by management that they were left feeling suicidal. The claims were made during a meeting in January 2024 between a large number of doctors and consultants from across the Belfast Trust and the organisation's former chairman Ciaran Mulgrew. Mr Mulgrew was not the subject of any of the concerns raised by the doctors. Details of the meeting were outlined in a follow up letter from the group to Mr Mulgrew. The letter, seen by UTV, mentioned how some doctors were in tears during the meeting as they outlined their experiences. The correspondence also claimed there had been "clear reference to suicidal ideation amongst consultant staff" who had been subjected to internal disiplinary procedures, known as the Maintaining High Professional Standards process (MHPS). One consultant told the meeting: 'it is only by good fortune that we had not had a colleague commit suicide due to the ordeal.' Concern was also raised "regarding the culture and perceived lack of psychological safety in the environment in which consultant medical staff work in the BHSCT.' Allegations were also made in the letter that in some cases doctors were placed under the disciplinary process after "raising whistleblowing concerns around patient safety." In a statement the Belfast Trust said: "Belfast Trust supports all staff who wish to tell us of their experiences and we have offered a number of options for them to do so. "We encourage staff to talk to us and we also have a firm commitment to our whistleblowing policy. "We are providing bespoke training, and communicate daily with staff, focusing on patient safety in addition to having dedicated weekly governance meetings. "We continue to work diligently to ensure that we make tangible improvements across the organisation, and in particular, within cardiac surgery services." The Department of Health said: "The Department can confirm that the Permanent Secretary met with the non-executive directors of Belfast Trust on Monday evening. "The Department will continue to provide support for the Trust as it deals with a series of significant challenges including service and funding pressures, governance issues and workplace culture. "The Department has engaged with the Trust over a number of years in relation to its challenges. "Following completion of the independent review of the Trust's cardiac surgery unit, Departmental intervention under its Support and Intervention Framework (SIF) was escalated to Level 5, the highest level.
Morocco World
07-07-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Enactus Morocco to Celebrate Young Moroccans' Innovating for Sustainable Development
Rabat — Starting tomorrow, Enactus Morocco will organize the sixth edition of the Sustainable Innovation Fest (SIF), the country's premier event dedicated to social entrepreneurship and sustainable innovation. The three-day festival, taking place from July 8-10 in Casablanca, brings together over 145 university clubs, hundreds of young entrepreneurs, industry professionals, and institutional partners under one roof. More than just an event Not only a typical conference, SIF celebrates the concrete impact that Moroccan youth create through their innovative projects. Morocco's economic capital is set to be a hub where creativity, social innovation, and civic engagement converge to serve the common good. Enactus Morocco Executive Director Mahdi Caf said that 'SIF embodies a strong conviction: Moroccan youth don't wait for solutions — they create them.' Moroccan youth, he added, 'innovate, start businesses, and transform today's challenges into opportunities to build a more just, sustainable, and supportive future.' A packed program This year's edition features an ambitious agenda that includes several key components. These include the National Enactus Competitions that involve semi-finals and the grand national finale, which will select Morocco's team to represent the country at the 2025 Enactus World Cup in Thailand. Meanwhile, expert panel discussions will bring change leaders, committed entrepreneurs, researchers, and decision-makers together to tackle current challenges in sustainable development and social innovation. Innovation Agora is another component set to provide an interactive platform to feature inspiring projects, concrete solutions, and initiatives led by Moroccan youth. Moroccan The sixth edition will wrap up with a closing ceremony to celebrate the achievements and recognition of talented, engaged youth. Green economy at focus The 2025 edition places a special focus on the green economy, providing the ground to address Morocco's environmental and economic challenges. Participants will have the opportunity to attend animated debates, practical workshops, innovative demonstrations, and interactive activities focused on recycling, circular economy, and eco-design. The organizers assert that these sessions offer the public a unique opportunity to discover innovative solutions created by proactive young people, while celebrating a generation that takes concrete action today to build a sustainable, fair, and environmentally responsible future. National mobilization The SIF 2025 is set to provide a common ground for prestigious juries, experienced mentors, passionate volunteers, and committed institutions, carrying a common ambition: to display and amplify the local impact of young people who carry hope and innovation. The festival demonstrates how Morocco's youth refuse to wait for change — they create it themselves, employing their entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking to transform challenges into opportunities for a better tomorrow. The three-day event promises to celebrate, inspire, and drive this sustainable change across Morocco, positioning the country's young innovators as leaders in the global movement toward sustainable development. Tags: EnactusEnactus MoroccoInnovationMoroccosustainable development
