Research partnerships
Joint briefs and comparative studies led by Moroccan and African youth researchers.
Morocco-Africa youth cooperation sits at the intersection of regional institutions, education, mobility, peace and security, entrepreneurship, culture, research and people-to-people relations. For youth organizations, the strongest contribution is practical: build credible partnerships, understand African frameworks and produce work that creates mutual value.
Regional context
Africa has continental frameworks for youth participation
The African Youth Charter provides a continental legal and policy reference for youth development and participation. The African Union also maintains a Continental Framework on Youth, Peace and Security with an implementation plan for 2020-2029. These instruments give youth organizations important context for understanding regional priorities and institutional language.
They do not authorize a private youth organization to represent the African Union or any state. Rather, they provide public frameworks that can inform responsible programmes and research.
Moroccan context
Cooperation with Africa is an established part of Morocco’s international architecture
Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs includes dedicated structures for African affairs, the African Union and African regional organizations. The Ministry is responsible for the Kingdom’s official diplomatic action and coordination of external relations. Youth organizations operate on a different layer: civil-society cooperation, education, research, dialogue and people-to-people engagement.
MYCDIC’s Africa-focused work should therefore be described as youth and civic international cooperation, not as official Moroccan diplomacy.
Partnership design
What useful Morocco-Africa youth cooperation can look like
Institutional exchanges
Structured cooperation among youth councils, universities and civil-society institutions.
Peace and dialogue
Training and projects informed by the African Youth, Peace and Security framework.
Education and mobility
Knowledge exchange that prioritizes reciprocal learning rather than one-directional outreach.
Regional representation
Transparent national representations with clear mandates, reporting lines and public verification.
Principles
Mutuality should be the standard
Regional cooperation becomes credible when partners have shared ownership, roles are explicit, evidence is published where appropriate, and benefits are not framed as flowing in only one direction. Programmes should avoid presenting Africa as a single homogeneous context; national, linguistic, legal and regional differences matter.
For MYCDIC, this principle supports a network model in which country representations are connected to a central People Registry and public verification system rather than appearing as disconnected pages.
Research agenda
Questions worth studying
- How can youth councils cooperate across African regions without duplicating existing institutions?
- Which participation models create sustained influence rather than one-off events?
- How can youth research inform peace, mobility, education and entrepreneurship programmes?
- What safeguards are needed for cross-border youth representation?
- How can Morocco-Africa youth cooperation be measured through outcomes and evidence rather than reach alone?
Primary sources
References used for this guide
- African Union - African Youth Charter
- African Union - Continental Framework for Youth, Peace and Security
- Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Ministry mandate
- Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Structure
External sources are provided for evidence and context. Linking does not imply endorsement of MYCDIC by the referenced institution.
Authority network