SIST, a higher education institute which operates entirely in English in Morocco, will invest £14 million to develop a purpose-built campus in Casablanca to host Coventry University’s programs.

“We see Morocco as a gateway to Africa”

The agreement will also enable the partners to explore opportunities for joint research, teaching and mobility to and from Coventry’s UK campuses for its Moroccan staff and students.

Thousands of Moroccan students are expected to benefit from the new partnership over several years by having access to additional and alternative educational experiences that are aligned with the needs of their society.

Vice-chancellor of Coventry University, John Latham, and president of SIST, Tariq Obaid, signed the MoU during a reception at the inaugural meeting of the UK-Morocco Higher Education Commission hosted by Coventry’s London campus on January 22.

Latham said he was pleased to have become the first UK university to sign an agreement to set up a campus in Morocco.

“Our partnership with SIST will give us our first strong relationship with a Moroccan institution, particularly around science and technology and teacher training,” he said.

“We’re also looking at partnerships in nurse training and nurse education and exploring links around research, especially water security and food security.

“We see Morocco as a gateway to Africa and a country where higher education in the UK overall could have more and further collaborations,” Latham added.

Obaid said that the partnership has the potential to contribute immensely to Morocco’s human resources development.

“Moreover, staff and students in both Morocco and Coventry could benefit from the cross-cultural networks that will be developed and the joint activities that will grow once the partnership is established,” he added.