As part of a cooperation agreement between the Republic of Djibouti and the Southern Region, Nabil Mohamed Ahmed and his delegation met the President of the University of Toulon to discuss future cooperation in the fields of training and research.
Created in 2011, the University of Djibouti is a young institution that is now seeking strategic partnerships with major players in education and research.
It was with this in mind that Nabil Mohamed Ahmed, Djibouti's Minister for Higher Education and Research, was received on Wednesday by Xavier Leroux, President of the University of Toulon (UTLN) and of the "Economy of the Sea" Campus for Professions and Qualifications of Excellence (CMQE), and by Frédéric Guinneton, Vice-President in charge of Research.
Accompanied by a delegation*, the Minister was able to discover UTLN's cutting-edge oceanology facilities - in particular the wave tank located on the premises of the SeaTech engineering school - before a presentation of the research activities of the MAPIEM, IM2NP, COSMER, LIS and MIO laboratories. The latter has been ranked 75th in the world in the Shanghai thematic rankings.
This exchange of views also provided an opportunity to present the MINM vocational degree run by the IUT GIM and accredited by CiNav, as well as the Erasmus Mundus MIR Master's degree in collaboration with three European institutions that are also listed in the Shanghai ranking. The afternoon was given over to a visit to the 4MED totem base of the 'Maritime Economy' Campus of Excellence (CMQE), run by UTLN.
Cooperation with the Southern Region
The reception of this official delegation from the Republic of Djibouti follows a visit by Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Council, to Djibouti.
Côtes d'Azur (South Region), last month in Djibouti. Accompanied by the President of the University of Toulon, he met a number of players involved in Franco-Djiboutian cooperation in the fields of the environment, decentralisation, health and the economy.
This visit contributed to the implementation of the Cooperation Agreement between Djibouti and the Southern Region, signed in 2021, which provides for a strong, long-term commitment between the two parties to combat climate change, preserve the environment, promote economic development and ensure the sustainable use of water resources.
The delegation from Provence took part in the launch ceremony of the Regional Observatory for Research on the Environment and Climate (ORREC), a first in the Horn of Africa, and in support of which a grant agreement was signed in June 2022 between the French Embassy and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
* The delegation was made up of Moussa Mahdi Ahmed, director of the Observatoire Régional de Recherche pour le Climat (ORREC), Jalludin AK Mohamed, director of the Centre d'Étude et de Recherche Djiboutien (CERD), Mohamoud Robleh Dablar, national coordinator for cooperation between the Republic of Djibouti and the South PACA Region, Mohamed Djama Omar, ship's captain, and Rougina Souliman, head of European and international affairs and partnerships at the South PACA Region.