World Week to be held on October 13, 14 and 15, 2026: Agadir, world capital of scientific Francophonie in October

Event

The 6th edition of the World Week of Scientific Francophonie will take place in Agadir on October 13, 14, and 15, 2026. An event under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, co-organized by Ibnou Zohr University and the Francophonie University Agency. A historical meeting for Morocco and the Souss Massa region.

The capital of Souss is about to reach a milestone in its international academic trajectory. The city, famous seaside resort turned towards the Atlantic, is preparing to join the ranks of major players. On October 13, 14, and 15, 2026, the city will host the 6th edition of the World Week of Scientific Francophonie, co-organized by Ibnou Zohr University and the Francophonie University Agency. An event that other capitals have hosted before – Bucharest, Cairo, Quebec, Toulouse, Dakar – and that Agadir will now carry with a clearly stated ambition: that of a Morocco that not only participates in the world’s important discussions, but also organizes, guides, and enlivens them.

The theme chosen for this edition speaks volumes about the current era: “Facing global geopolitical challenges: what role for Francophone scientific diplomacy?” We are no longer in purely academic territory, but rather in something more urgent, more political, more necessary. In a world where alliances are shifting, where science becomes a tool of power as well as a common good, the question of the role of the Francophonie – an area of 300 million speakers spread across five continents – is far from rhetorical. It is strategic.
The event will be under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. A strong signal. One of a Morocco that has made scientific diplomacy an explicit lever of its foreign policy, investing in its universities as others invest in their military fleets, and looking towards Africa and the Mediterranean with a long-term vision. The choice of Agadir – and not Rabat, not Casablanca – to host this grand event says something about the academic maturity of the Souss-Massa region, often reduced in the collective imagination to its beaches and citrus fruits.

For several years, Ibnou Zohr University has positioned itself as a credible research player, forging partnerships beyond borders, and training generations of students. The SMFS 2026 will be an opportunity for the university to showcase this behind-the-scenes work, project it onto the world stage, and confront it with the best practices of Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
The program looks intense. Ministerial conference, scientific meetings, congresses of French-speaking student youth, thematic workshops, bilateral meetings – three days that will not leave participants time to catch their breath. More than 900 international speakers are expected, representatives from over 50 countries, higher education ministers, university presidents, field researchers, and students who come to have their say.

In five editions, the event has brought together more than 21,000 participants. And for this new meeting, SMFS 2026 poses a question that Morocco, specifically, is well positioned to address: how can a French-speaking country in the Global South influence the production and circulation of knowledge? How can scientific cooperation be made into a dialogue of equals, rather than an asymmetrical relationship where the North produces and the South consumes? How can the French language, often seen as a burdensome colonial heritage, instead become a space for intellectual emancipation and solidarity among researchers who share the same challenges, urgencies, and hopes?
These questions, Agadir will receive next October with an awareness of what they imply. For Ibnou Zohr University and its partners, the event will be an accelerator of lasting partnerships, common research projects, student exchanges, and collaborations.
There is certainly much to be done before then. Mobilizing economic and institutional actors in the region. Involving Moroccan researchers in building the program. Preparing student youth to take their place in the discussions. Ensuring media coverage commensurate with the stakes.
But the essential is already there: for the first time, a city in southern Morocco will host this global scientific Francophonie summit. And that changes everything.