Former US President Barack Obama acknowledged on November 30 the work of Moroccan activist Rachid Ennassiri, lauding him for his commitment to the fight against climate change.
“I’m always inspired by young leaders like Rachid Ennassiri, who is helping more people in Morocco get involved in the fight against climate change,” said Obama in a tweet.
He called on changemakers across the globe to join the Obama Foundation that aims to inspire youth, empower young leaders, and connect regional cohorts of changemakers to accelerate positive change in their communities.
The Obama foundation launched yesterday a donation campaign for the construction of a presidential center that will feature a world-class museum, unite a new generation of leaders, and connect the economy of the South Side of Chicago with the rest of the city.
The center aims to create jobs, drive economic opportunities, and unlock the potential of Chicago's South Side.
In 2019, 28-year-old Rachid Ennassiri was one of two Moroccans chosen from 23.000 international candidates to take part in a program held by the Obama Foundation in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The one-year program trained, empowered, and connected 200 young African entrepreneurs to explore new ways to take on the biggest challenges in their communities.
Born in Tinghir, a small city in the south of the High Atlas in central Morocco, Ennassiri is a climate change activist and has launched several ecological projects, including the Moroccan Youth Center for Sustainable Energy in Ouarzazate.
A former technical assistant at the German Agency for International Cooperation in Morocco (GIZ), Ennassiri currently works as climate change policy manager at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, a department of the UK government.