The intercontinental connection project between Morocco and Spain has entered a new phase of academic and technical cooperation.
Morocco and Spain reinforced their partnership in the fields of digitization and engineering related to the fixed link project across the Strait of Gibraltar by signing two cooperation agreements on Thursday in the Spanish capital, Madrid.
The agreements were signed during a visit by a Moroccan delegation headed by Abdelkebir Zahoud, president of the National Company for the Studies of the Strait of Gibraltar. This was marked by technical meetings between Moroccan and Spanish experts, chaired by José Luis Guberna Caridi, CEO of the Spanish company responsible for the project studies.
These meetings focused on the topic of document digitization and the development of a future data management system, in addition to the engineering aspects of this ambitious project.
In this context, a partnership agreement was signed between the general director of the Spanish Centre for Research and Studies in Public Works, Auria Pirotcho Martinez, and the general director of the Public Laboratory for Tests and Studies in Morocco, Hamou Ben Saadout.
This agreement aims at collaboration in areas such as roads, soil and rock engineering, rail and public transport, as well as issues related to water, road safety, and the environment.
The second agreement involved a collaboration between the Higher Technical School of Road, Canal, and Port Engineers in Madrid, represented by its director José Miguel Atienza Riera, and the Hassaniya School of Public Works in Morocco, represented by its director Jawad Boutaher.
Areas of cooperation include education, training, and scientific research through the exchange of students and professors, conducting joint research, and organizing specialized training courses.
This step is part of an exchange program between the two national companies responsible for the studies of the link project, within the framework of implementing the decisions of the 43rd meeting of the Moroccan-Spanish Joint Committee for the Fixed Link across the Strait, which was held on April 10, 2023.
During this meeting, both parties agreed to enhance joint work by mobilizing scientific and technical networks in both Morocco and Spain, including public institutions, consulting firms, universities, and scientific research centers, with the aim of building a comprehensive cooperation system that supports the project’s advancement.
