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Business Standard
09-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
AI's potential depends on ethical governance, equitable access: Expert
At a UM6P-hosted summit, academics and business leaders discussed how AI is reshaping scientific, industrial, and entrepreneurial innovation through foundational and transformative roles AI's potential will be fully realised only if its governance is ethical, access equitable, and impact globally and equally distributed, an education expert said at the Deep Tech Summit here in Morocco. At the summit, hosted by the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) here, academics and business experts brainstormed and explored the foundational role of artificial intelligence (AI) in reshaping scientific, entrepreneurial and industrial innovation. Hicham El Habti, president of UM6P, said AI is rewriting playbooks of the industry, but its complete potential can be realised only if its governance is ethical. "AI today is a general-purpose technology that demands general-purpose responsibility. It is rewriting the playbooks of industry, reshaping value chains, and reimagining public goods. And yet, its potential will only be fully realised if we ensure that its governance is ethical, its access is equitable, and its impact is globally and equally distributed. "The debate today is less about how fast we go and more about where we are headed. It challenges us to look past the hype and ask deeper questions. Not just how fast we can move, but where, why, and for whom," Habti said. The two-day summit saw about 7000 participants from over 30 countries and 980 startups. Jalal Charaf, Chief Digital Officer at UM6P said AI is something that we all struggle to know what to do with. "It is very difficult because it's a new technology, and a lot of people even liken it to fire or electricity, because it is a general purpose technology.. it is like a drug. We don't know the dosage, we don't know the side effects, we don't know exactly what to do with it. So we are in this period of, I would say, fermentation, where we're trying to figure out what to do with it. "I think the best way to build an ecosystem is to make the maximum people aware of it and try it. We have to. We are responsible of making people test it and see what they can do with it," Charaf said. An understanding of AI technology would need to be embedded within education systems, stressed Stavaros N Yiannouka, CEO of World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), a global think tank of the Qatar Foundation, who added that dealing with AI is like interacting with a new form of intelligence. "We are really trying to connect the dots between policy research and innovation in education. Whatever we do with AI, however we harness its its potential, it has to be with an aim in mind. So, the most asked question today is what can AI do for education, and how do we harness its potential? "I think there are opportunities to personalise learning, to significantly enhance access through AI agents that can act as tutors, teaching assistants, research assistants or even co-principal investigators at some point," he said. The CEO supported that we are dealing with a new intelligence and a potentially new consciousness. "Who knows where this is going to go? We need to start thinking about how we are going to be interacting with that, with that new intelligence. We also need to think about the broader community and embed within our education system, an understanding of this technology and how we interact with it. This will help us avoid the mistakes we made with social media," he said. Steve Ciensinki, founder of Vencrest Partners, a private venture capital and advisory firm, and professor at Stanford University, US, said the advent of AI is obviously a game breaker for all of us as human beings. "Stanford has set up an institute across the university called Human-Centered AI, and the idea is to have AI work for humans, as opposed to the other way around," Ciensinki said. "This is those who have the clever agility to figure out how these markets will be changing, the courage to move forward, the resilience that startup companies need to have are going to do to really do well in this industry, in this whole area," he added. Being a new technology, AI is not yet proven, which is where science is needed, Ciensinki said. "So, instead of just having two elements -- engineering and commercialisation -- you have the third element, which is the science behind it. That's the third group that needs to be brought in, and that is hugely risky for any kind of customer or individual to use when (the technology) is all new and has never really been even invented yet. "It is going to take more people, specialised workforce and scientists. It is also going to take more capital, more equipment, and a lot more patience by investors. These venture capital funds that are going to be formed now for deep tech are going to be longer than 10 years, before we can start to see some of these technologies really take hold but undoubtedly the opportunities are immense," he said.
Morocco World
27-02-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
UM6P Inaugurates Presence at STATION F, Launches NextAfrica Program
Doha – University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) officially inaugurated its presence at STATION F, the world's largest startup campus, on Thursday in Paris. The event also marked the launch of NextAfrica, UM6P's acceleration program at STATION F. NextAfrica is the first transcontinental Europe-Africa acceleration program dedicated to Greentech, Agritech, and Healthtech. It offers a hybrid approach combining immersion at STATION F with access to UM6P's infrastructure in Morocco, allowing startups to develop, test, and structure their innovations. 'NextAfrica reflects our ambition to create an ecosystem where African and European startups collaborate, innovate, and grow together,' said Fahd Benkirane, Managing Director at UM6P France. 'Through our presence at STATION F and UM6P's strong foothold in Africa, we offer entrepreneurs a unique framework to accelerate their development and address tomorrow's technological and societal challenges,' he added in a press release. The inauguration, themed 'Innovating Together: A Bridge Between Europe and Africa to Shape the Future,' underlines UM6P's vision of building an intercontinental ecosystem that drives the emergence of groundbreaking solutions. Over a six-month period, selected startups will benefit from STATION F's cutting-edge entrepreneurial environment while gaining access to UM6P's advanced technological infrastructure through StartGate, its startup-dedicated campus. Participants will also receive mentorship from African and European experts and strategic connections to investors and industrial partners. As part of this initiative, UM6P Ventures will also establish a presence at STATION F to enhance funding opportunities for startups and foster synergies between European and African venture capital ecosystems. Read also: UM6P Science Week 2025 Closes with Promise of African Leadership in Science 'By alternating between STATION F and StartGate, startups will experience a dual immersion — gaining exposure to the European market while staying anchored in an African innovation hub,' explained Yassine Laghzioui, Director of Entrepreneurship & Venturing at UM6P and CEO of UM6P Ventures. 'This initiative reflects UM6P's vision: to connect talent, infrastructure, and capital in order to nurture the next generation of African tech scale-ups,' he continued. The event introduced the first NextAfrica cohort, featuring twelve promising startups from both continents across two key sectors: HealthTech — represented by Pelican Health, SenseBiotek, VG2D Pharma, Inn'Pulse, NeuralTeks, BlocReg Solutions, iAvicenne, and Rosetta Omics — and AgriTech, represented by Sand to Green, ISTYA, AgroSfer, and IrWise. This inauguration builds on the partnership announced on January 29, when UM6P and STATION F first revealed their collaboration to promote innovation while bridging Europe and Africa. At that time, UM6P President Hicham El Habti stated that the alliance would provide startups with tools to 'tackle Africa's technological, economic, and environmental challenges while strengthening this bridge between the two continents.' STATION F, located in Paris's 13th district, opened in 2017 and is housed in a former rail freight depot spanning 34,000 square meters. The facility supports over 1,000 startups and has established partnerships with major technology companies including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Ubisoft, and Zendesk. Tags: Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P)UM6P
Morocco World
19-02-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Africa's Diaspora: A Key to Unlocking Sustainable Continental Entrepreneurship
Ben Guerir – The Director of Institutional Affairs at University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), Khalid Baddou has shed light on Africa's diaspora's critical yet underutilized role in the continent's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Speaking recently at the 27th Annual Africa Business Conference, held at Harvard Business School this week, Baddou focused on Africa's unexploited diaspora. 27th Annual Africa Business Conference at Harvard Business School While Africa has a vital economic potential across sectors like agriculture, digital technology, and renewable energy, the continent is showing poor results in unicorn startups. In stark numbers contrast to the United States who has produced 1,020 unicorn startups, China at 380, and India at 118, the African continent only has nine. Khalid Baddou contended that even as the continent's diaspora sends nearly $100 billion annually back home, this disparity points to persistent challenges facing African entrepreneurs. During his panel discussion on diaspora-driven entrepreneurship, Baddou noted that much of this capital is mostly lost to high transaction fees or directly used in consumption rather than spent in productive investments. However, emerging fintech solutions are beginning to address this issue, especially in Morocco. In this respect, Baddou mentioned that the country's Bank Al-Maghrib has established a Fintech Hub to encourage innovation in financial services and reduce transfer costs. Sustainable growth, not a copy-paste solution Baddou's message also challenged the traditional practice of importing Western business models to be directly applied into African markets. He believes that the solutions to Africa's success should not be conditional on copying and pasting existing solutions, but rather entrepreneurs need to focus on sustainable expansion through exhaustive market research and close collaboration with local stakeholders and governments. Meanwhile, universities are increasingly playing a crucial role in this transformation, a strategy that is evident through many of UM6P's initiatives. A living example is the UM6P Associates Network, which aspires to connect Moroccan diaspora with the university's programs, thus providing a model for other African countries. These initiatives strive to incorporate Africa's diaspora talent into research programs that would benefit the continent, as well as boost pan-African collaboration among young innovators. Morocco as a model This push for diaspora engagement aligns with recent policy directions in Morocco. King Mohammed VI has called for creating structured pavements for skilled nationals abroad to contribute to national development. Through such initiatives, Morocco is positioning itself as a model for other fellow African nations seeking to leverage their global talent pools. As Africa works to transform its economic potential into reality, Baddou argued during the conference that success requires more than just financial investment. He particularly said that the disapora's knowledge transfer, mentorship, and allocation of strategic resources will be crucial in building sustainable businesses that not only can thrive in local contexts, but also compete globally. These stark statistics on unicorn startups that Baddou brought to the surface suggest that Africa's entrepreneurial journey is still in its early stages. However, with coordinated efforts between governments, educational institutions, and diaspora networks, the continent appears poised to write its own unique success story in global entrepreneurship. Read also: UM6P's 'Voice of Africa' Amplifies the Need for Resilient African Entrepreneurs
Morocco World
13-02-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Climate Impulse Celebrates First Anniversary with Major Advances in Green Aviation
Rabat – A year after its launch, Climate Impulse has made significant strides in developing the world's first green hydrogen-powered airplane, designed for a non-stop, nine-day, zero-emission flight around the globe in 2028. During an online conference marking its first anniversary today, key partners, including University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), OCP Group, Syensqo, and Breitling, reflected on the project's achievements and outlined future challenges and opportunities in sustainable aviation. What started as a concept in the minds of Bertrand Piccard and Raphael Dinelli is now becoming a reality, as the cockpit is finished and work on the wings is underway, which brings Climate Impulse closer to takeoff. Piccard, Chairman of Climate Impulse, expressed his excitement over the rapid progress during the conference. A year ago, 'the workshop was empty. Today, it is full with molds, with pieces of the wings, pieces of the fuselage, with 15 people working really hard as pioneers to make it happen.' He noted the importance of teamwork and partnerships in turning this vision into reality, adding, 'We want to be a flagship for a federative, exciting, and positive climate action … to show that solutions exist.' Meanwhile, Dinelli expressed the project's commitment to proving that hydrogen can be a viable solution for aviation's decarbonization. 'We will have to master the safe storage and use of liquid hydrogen to power Climate Impulse over a long period: more than eight days,' he said. Till Zeino-Mahmalat, the project's technical director, echoed this excitement as he pointed out the country's strong renewable energy capacity and OCP's role in decarbonization efforts. 'We are one of the leaders in fertilizers. We have set ourselves a very strong ambition in decarbonizing our own operations and our own products,' he said. OCP aims to achieve carbon neutrality in scopes one and two by 2030 and in scope three by 2040. Zeino-Mahmalat explained that green hydrogen and its derivatives, such as ammonia, play an important role in these efforts. 'Ammonia can be produced from hydrogen. So, combining this huge potential of renewable resources, as we have one of the best regions in the world to produce green hydrogen, with our need to decarbonize our products, this is a great spot where we are on,' he explained. UM6P is playing an important role in advancing the project by contributing cutting-edge research and technological solutions. Representing the university, Professor Lamiae Azizi reiterated the university's commitment to sustainability and innovation. 'For us, this partnership allows us to put our scientific expertise and technological solutions to a pioneering project that aligns with our mission of advancing carbon neutrality across industries and put Morocco in its leader position in renewable renewable energy resources.' AI and automation in green flight She also discussed UM6P's contributions to AI-based autopilot systems and explained how the technology will enhance flight efficiency and safety. 'We see this as an AI autopilot-based system in which we're going to be able to gather a number of information about the flight, the trajectory, and the environment conditions,' she said. 'Our goal is to provide an automated system that detects subtle turbulences and optimizes energy use, anticipating any problems that could put you Climate Impulse experts into problem during the mission.' As Climate Impulse's main technological partner, Syensqo is contributing innovative materials and engineering solutions to enhance aircraft performance and efficiency. CEO Ilham Kadri said with enthusiasm that 'this is not only a technological project; it's a human adventure. Its environmental project is the ultimate flight around the world without emissions.' Kadri outlined Syensqo's role in developing lightweight composite materials, which are essential for reducing the aircraft's energy consumption. 'We lighten objects, be it an airplane, a car, or an e-bike. That's what we do,' she explained. 'If it's mobile, it consumes less fuel, which means less CO2.' She noted that composite materials like carbon fiber-reinforced polymers can be 30 to 50% lighter than traditional metals while maintaining strength and durability. 'It's estimated that a 1% weight reduction using composites can lead to a 0.75% reduction in fuel consumption,' she further explained. Despite remarkable progress, the path to success is challenging since the aviation industry has long been considered difficult to decarbonize. The aviation industry releases several types of gases that contribute to climate change. The main one is carbon dioxide, which comes from burning jet fuel and makes up about 2.5% of global emissions. However, Climate Impulse is looking to prove that change is possible, with Kadri speaking of the significance of the project in reducing aviation's carbon footprint. She pointed out that aviation currently contributes between 4% and 6% to global warming. Read also: UM6P's 'Science Week' to Gather Scientists, Experts to Explore Issues Shaping Tomorrow 'A one-way flight from New York to Tokyo typically emits approximately 2 metric tons of carbon dioxide per passenger,' she explained, adding that reducing or eliminating these emissions would be a major step in mitigating climate change. Over the past year, Climate Impulse has gained international recognition as it presented its vision at major events such as New York Climate Week, COP29 in Baku, and the World Economic Forum in Davos. The project aims to inspire broader adoption of clean energy technologies beyond aviation and advocatie for a future where sustainability and economic prosperity go hand in hand. The aircraft's cockpit shell has been completed, with its design ensuring smooth aerodynamics and advanced communication systems, and the interior has also been finalized. These elements were tested in a full-size wooden model to make sure they are functional and comfortable. The team has also started manufacturing the wing spar, with strength tests planned soon. Meanwhile, the final aircraft design was revealed and a 3D model of the plane was built to test its takeoff, landing, and stability. For Climate Impulse, 2025 and 2026 will be key years for the project. Next year, the team will test the hydrogen fuel cells and propulsion systems using a special test setup to make sure the first 100% electric flight phases run smoothly. Researchers will also explore how this technology can be used in small commercial aircraft carrying up to 20 passengers. Tags: Climate Impulsegreen aviationgreen hydrogen
