A little history. OR@Africa was founded in September 2023, in GERAD's seminar room, by a group of students from Polytechnique Montréal and GERAD, accompanied by Professor Issmail El Hallaoui. The idea of creating this initiative was born out of a common reflection on the importance of promoting operational research (OR) in Africa, and of bringing together the international OR community to tackle the continent's complex challenges.

The founders of OR@Africa. The founders of OR@Africa come from different regions of Africa, and are specialists in operational research at Polytechnique Montréal and researchers at GERAD. Together, they created this platform to promote operational research in Africa and encourage international collaboration in this field. Here are the founders who marked this milestone:

Wissem Ahmed Zaid
Mohamed Faouzi Benammour
El Mehdi Er Raqabi
Meisseme Kadri
Abdellaoui Abdelhakim
Omar Boussouf
Oussama Siwane
Youssouf Emine

An international outlook. These founders have joined forces with new people from different parts of the world. In fact, to broaden their scope of action beyond Montreal, the organization welcomed Imene Sellahi and Bouchra Bacha from Africa and Europe respectively, as well as Amel Ghribi, also of African origin but based in Europe. This international opening reflects the desire to create a global, dynamic and inclusive community, where researchers from all horizons can collaborate to advance operational research, with a particular focus on African challenges. Mohamed Laghdaf habiboullah, although currently based in Montreal, is also of African origin and has joined the initiative with an enriching perspective for future projects.

OR@Africa Day at GERAD - A successful event. OR@Africa Day took place on January 20, 2025 at GERAD. The event marked an important milestone for the OR@Africa initiative, bringing together a large operational research community from both Africa and the rest of the world.

OR@Africa Day showcased operational research (OR) in Africa, with conferences, panel discussions and networking sessions. The event attracted a large audience and was a real catalyst for the creation of new partnerships and collaborations between African and international researchers. Several research projects on challenges specific to Africa were presented, and numerous discussions highlighted the importance of OR in solving complex problems on the continent.

Media coverage and international recognition. The impact of OR@Africa Day was widely recognized, and the event attracted the attention of the international OR community. The event was covered by specialist media, including INFORMS, one of the leading international organizations in the field of operations research. INFORMS even published an article highlighting the importance of the event, its success, and its key role in promoting OR in Africa. This recognition by INFORMS testifies to the relevance and impact of the OR@Africa initiative, as well as to the growing interest in African contributions to operational research worldwide.

Enthusiastic participation. Numerous researchers, students and professionals took part in the annual OR@Africa Day. Among the students present, Ibrahim Dan Dijé, Awa Khouna, and Sarah Nouri made valuable contributions to the discussions, with notable online participation from Sarah Nouri, who enriched the event with her remote perspectives from Africa.

Guest professors Gilbert Laporte (HEC Montréal), Issmail El Hallaoui (Polytechnique Montréal), Nadia Lahrichi, and Hanane Dagdougui (Polytechnique Montréal) shared inspiring ideas and played a vital role in the event's success.

A promising future for OR@Africa. The success of this event reinforces OR@Africa's commitment to pursue its actions to promote operational research in Africa, and to create spaces for exchange and collaboration between researchers, students and professionals. The initiative is already gearing up for future editions, which will aim to further extend the reach and impact of OR on the African continent.