Cisco today announced two major collaborative initiatives with the Moroccan government, the launch of the Cisco Networking Academy program in Morocco and Cisco's appointment as strategic technology advisor to the Moroccan government. A ceremony to mark the collaboration, held at Cisco Expo Morocco 2009, was attended by Ms. Latifa El Abida, the secretary of state for the ministry of national education. A milestone in Cisco's ongoing commitment to work with the government, businesses and citizens of Morocco to help build the future through the intelligent application of information and communications technology (ICT), using the network as the platform. Cisco will work with Morocco's Ministry of National Education to introduce the Cisco Networking Academy program into the curriculum in K-12 schools, as well as colleges, universities and other educational institutions throughout the kingdom of Morocco. As the government's strategic technology advisor, Cisco will help to formulate and develop Morocco's ICT strategy. This collaboration will enable the government to benefit from Cisco's experience in setting up similar programs and educational networks across the globe and particularly in Africa and the Middle East.
The Networking Academy program provides ICT skills to students globally to improve their career and economic opportunities. It operates in high schools, colleges, universities, technical and military schools, community-based organizations and government bodies. Its curriculum combines the theory and practice of designing, developing and implementing the networks that underpin businesses and other organizations. In addition, its advanced technology curricula in areas such as security, wireless and Internet Protocol (IP) telephony provide exposure to the latest technology skills in those fields. It also has a module teaching basic ICT skills. The Networking Academy is present in 41 countries in Africa, with 41,000 students taking classes and 92,000 students since its inception. There are 760 instructors in 350 academies.
