His Majesty King Mohamed VI of Morocco delivered an iconic speech on the 48th anniversary of the Green March, highlighting critical issues related to economic development, regional cooperation and security in Africa, more particularly in the region bordering the Atlantic coast.
The royal speech highlighted a notable deficit in infrastructure and investment along the Atlantic coast, despite the abundance of natural resources and the presence of highly qualified human capital. This observation urgently highlighted the need for substantial investments to fully exploit the region's potential.
At the heart of the speech was a call for international cooperation to address these challenges. The strategic Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline project was presented as a concrete example of collaboration aimed at promoting regional integration, boosting joint economic growth, and serving the development objectives of the coastal nations of the Atlantic Ocean. This initiative is also part of guaranteeing energy supplies for European countries.
The speech also highlighted the imperative to promote security, stability and prosperity. His Majesty recommended the creation of an institutional framework bringing together the twenty-three African countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean, with the objective of promoting these imperatives. He affirmed that the problems and difficulties faced by neighboring nations in the Sahel region cannot be resolved solely through security and military measures, but require an approach based on cooperation and shared development.
A bold proposal from His Majesty was to initiate a concrete approach to allow the nations of the Sahel to access the Atlantic Ocean. This proposal would stimulate the economic development of these countries by facilitating trade and commerce.
In a similar context, Morocco expressed its desire to make its road, port and railway infrastructure available to neighboring nations, stressing that this initiative could lead to a fundamental transformation, not only of the economies of these countries, but also of the whole of the region.
This dynamic initiated by the Kingdom of Morocco will lay solid foundations for the creation of more robust African value chains, unlocking the industrial and creative potential of the continent, and contributing to a medium and long-term improvement in development indicators in Africa. In a broader perspective, Morocco could reactivate the gold route (the ancient Sijilmassa route) and make it a logistics hub linking Europe to Atlantic Africa, the Sahel and the Sahara.
It is all the more important to highlight that the speech of His Majesty King Mohamed VI highlighted the crucial importance of regional cooperation, economic development and security for the Atlantic coast region of Africa. He proposed pragmatic solutions and international initiatives to resolve problems and promote shared prosperity. The speech thus laid the foundations for a bold vision for the future of the region, emphasizing cooperation and mutual development.
*Economist and financial analyst
