Thursday, July 24, 2025, Rabat – CAFRAD and the Canadian group MDS officially establish a strategic partnership for the modernization of African public administrations.

The African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD) has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with the Canadian group Management Development Systems (MDS), a training center accredited by the Government of Quebec, represented by its Director General, Professor Adnane BELOUT. This agreement marks the culmination of a rigorous and structured negotiation process between two leading institutions in the field of public administration training and research.

This ambitious collaboration is grounded in a shared vision: to promote the empowerment and Africanization of current and emerging public leaders in Africa, through the implementation of joint initiatives, collaborative research, and capacity-building programs focused on innovation, best practices, transformational leadership, and effective governance.

As part of this agreement, CAFRAD and MDS commit to offering tailor-made training programs to African states—programs that meet Canadian and international standards and are specifically designed to address the needs of public sector leaders, senior officials, and executives across African public administrations. These programs aim to build capacities in strategic leadership and administrative innovation, supporting the continent’s sustainable socio-economic development.

“We must co-create high-quality training programs for CAFRAD member states… We will ensure that the kind of training offered by leading U.S., Canadian, and European universities becomes available in Africa at a lower cost, but with MDS’s expertise,” said the Director General of CAFRAD.

Furthermore, both institutions recognize the crucial role of international cooperation, knowledge exchange, and intercultural learning as essential levers to address the complex challenges of contemporary governance. This partnership will thus help develop public leaders who are both transformative and transformational, capable of driving the reforms needed to build modern, resilient, and inclusive public administrations.

Shared Recognition and International Quality Standards

As part of this strategic partnership, participants will receive a certificate issued by MDS, which is recognized by the Government of Canada, as well as a jointly signed training certificate from both CAFRAD and MDS. This co-signature provides a dual guarantee: the continental recognition of CAFRAD and the compliance with Canadian quality standards upheld by MDS, a training center accredited by the Government of Quebec.

This approach also aims to streamline costs for partner African states, while ensuring that MDS’s international trainer network is deployed directly in beneficiary countries—on the ground, in Africa.

In his official statement, Dr. Adnane BELOUT, Director General of MDS, reaffirmed his institution’s commitment to enhancing CAFRAD’s training offer by bringing concrete added value. With 35 years of global professional training experience, including work in over 20 African countries, MDS intends to contribute its expertise to this partnership in order to support the development of high-level competencies within African public administrations.

This partnership represents a significant milestone in the journey toward more effective public governance in Africa, built on excellence, innovation, and international collaboration.