France-Morocco space cooperation

Since the framework space cooperation agreement signed in Paris in 2015 in the presence of France and Morocco’s Prime Ministers, discussions and exchanges between the two nations have stepped up a gear. CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall was thus at the Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology in Rabat today to give a talk on the challenges of space exploration and the Galileo programme.

In his talk, Jean-Yves Le Gall underlined how space assets are a prolific source of data delivering new insights into the Universe and helping us to better manage the impacts of human activities, both in terms of assuring effective stewardship of the planet and improving living conditions for citizens. He also stressed that space efforts are now being driven by innovation, applications, climate monitoring and exploration. CNES’s President hailed Morocco’s aspirations to build a space programme geared towards meeting its citizens’ needs and stimulating new scientific actions. He also pointed to Morocco’s role as a relay for the rest of Africa, notably in developing and disseminating new applications. These are precisely the themes underpinning cooperation between France and Morocco in areas such as agriculture, water resource management, oceanography, crisis management and climate change, which are integral to sustainable development and were a focus of attention at the COP 22.