Baker McKenzie has advised the global higher education giant, Laureate Education, on the sale of Université Internationale de Casablanca (UIC) to KMR Holding Pédagogique, a recognised higher education platform in French speaking Africa. Established in 2010, UIC is the first private university recognised by the Moroccan State.

Laureate Education is the world’s largest global network of private university institutions, with more than 1 million students in 70 institutions present on-line and in 23 countries. Thanks to its expertise in numerous disciplines, Laureate provides certification courses which offer good job prospects to its students.

With over 7,500 students across Marrakech, Casablanca and Dakar, KMR delivers programs which lead to qualifications in medicine, management, hospitality and engineering, among others. The African investment fund, Development Partners International (DPI) is one of the majority shareholders of KMR.

Commenting on this transaction, Eilif Serck-Hanssen, CEO of Laureate said: “Within a span of 7 years UIC was recognized by the State for its exceptional commitment to academic quality. We believe UIC will be well-positioned under KMR Holding Pédagogique to continue delivering strong outcomes, internationality, and high student satisfaction”.

Baker McKenzie advised Laureate Education with Kamal Nasrollah, a partner from the Casablanca office, assisted by Julien Grandry, counsel, Keltoum Boudribila, senior associate, Rania Chawad, Amina Bensaid and Arnaud Charpentier, associates.