AU Executive Council: Morocco Elected to African Space Agency Council

Morocco was elected, on Thursday in Addis Ababa, to the African Space Agency (AfSA) Council at the 44th session of the Executive Council of the African Union.

Amal Layachi, candidate from Morocco, won the position of member for the Northern Region on the AfSA Council with an impressive majority of 35 votes.

Her unequivocal victory came in the midst of a tough competition, highlighting her expertise and vision for the future of African space cooperation, according to the Moroccan delegation.

At a time when Africa is seeking to strengthen its presence in the space sector, this victory is of the utmost importance. Amal Layachi, with her experience and commitment, is well placed to make a significant contribution to AfSA’s initiatives to promote technological and scientific development on the continent.

Ms Layachi, born in 1966, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic, Electrotechnical and Automatic from the University of Bordeaux, Master in Instrumentation and Control from the University of Rouen and a Engineer’s degree in Automation and Industrial Computing from the Mohammedia School of Engineers in Rabat.

Since 1991, Ms. Layachi has specialized in the fields of Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing Space through several high-level complementary trainings and stays in institutions abroad that allowed her to set up and deploy GIS for the benefit of several national institutions, in the framework of bilateral projects or international cooperation.

As head of the training department at the Royal Center for Remote Sensing Space, in charge of national and regional capacity development activities, she has set up training programs in the fields of Earth observation, GIS and related fields. in partnership with national institutions and international organizations, UNDP, FAO, ESA, UNESCO … and implemented up to today more than 200 training modules and awareness workshops for more than 3000 participants. She is also the focal point in CRTS’s partnership relations with universities and scientific research.

At the same time, she has been in charge of the scientific and technical organization of several national and international events in space technology, and has coordinated several international cooperation projects integrating capacity building in space technology.