Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God glorify him, the Ministry of Equipment and Water, the Hassania School of Public Works (EHTP), and the Association of EHTP Engineers jointly celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the EHTP on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, at the headquarters of the institution.

This celebration day witnessed the presence of distinguished personalities, including ministers, ambassadors, walis, governors, various representatives from civil society and the private sector, and some former laureates of the EHTP.

Since its establishment in 1971 under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Works, the EHTP has played a crucial role in the country’s development by producing engineers with high technical and managerial skills. These engineers have contributed to nation-building, the management of critical resources, and support for the national processes of decentralization and deconcentration.

The fiftieth-anniversary celebration provided an opportunity to pay tribute to the founders and contributors of the school. It aimed to strengthen the engagement and interest of the ecosystem around the school, including institutional partners, faculty, students, and EHTP laureates.

Moreover, the event served as a platform to enhance cooperation through the signing of new agreements with partners such as the Ministry of Equipment and Water, the Casablanca-Settat Region, Bank of Africa, GIZ, the Association of EHTP Engineers, and the Solidarity Fund against Catastrophic Events. These agreements cover areas such as scientific research, innovation, partnership, and the enhancement of graduates’ employability.

Former members of the Hassania School of Public Works, including directors, teachers, officials, and laureates, participated in commemorating the school’s history with their testimonies and interventions, highlighting the school’s contribution to the country’s major developments over the past 50 years.

The celebration day also included the presentation of excellence awards to the laureates of the EHTP from the 2021 and 2022 promotions, granted by institutions and companies partnering with the EHTP.

At the end of the celebration, a message of loyalty and allegiance to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God glorify him, was delivered on behalf of the Minister of Equipment and Water and all stakeholders involved in the celebration.

Following this celebration, on July 6, 2022, the three partners organized a scientific day. The event, attended by high-profile figures, presented and discussed perspectives for the next 50 years in infrastructure and critical resources. The discussions highlighted the Moroccan experience in the school’s intervention sectors, assessed progress to date, and addressed the engineer’s skill requirements. The discussions also considered factors such as energy, climate, technology, and digital transitions and their impact on future professions and skills. The day featured the following conferences and roundtable discussions:

1. Plenary Conference on the Challenges of Infrastructure Development in Africa, organized and moderated by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
2. Roundtable 1: Challenges in the Coming Years Regarding Technological and Digital Transformations, organized and moderated by the EHTP.
3. Roundtable 2: Climate Change and Securing Water Needs, organized and moderated by CID.
4. Roundtable 3: Sustainable Development and Its Impact on Infrastructure, organized and moderated by LafargeHolcim.
5. Plenary Conference on the Challenges of Developing the Skills of the Engineer of Tomorrow, organized and moderated by the EHTP with the participation of professional federations: FNBTP, FMCI, FENELEC, AGEF, APC.

The professionals’ and experts’ exchanges and testimonies during the conferences and roundtable discussions provided participants with insights into new dynamics and challenges, including global warming, pollution of oceans, air and soil, pandemic severity, biodiversity extinction, scarcity of materials, minerals, and resources consumed by humanity, rapid technological disruptions, the digital transformation of the economy, and shifts in entire sectors towards digital. These dynamics have increased the volatility and vulnerability of a globalized and financialized economy, ignited political conflicts, fueled inflationary speculation, created tensions over the availability of critical products, and exacerbated social, territorial, and economic inequalities.