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Rabat – Morocco has pledged to support the European Union to deploy the “Global Gateway” strategy, which seeks to support infrastructure development around the world and strengthen connectivity between Europe and Africa.
“Global Gateway will contribute to a qualitative step towards a world of sustainable co-prosperity,” Morocco’s Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch said on Tuesday during the opening of the European Development Days (EDD) in Brussels.
This year’s EDD aims to shed light on the EU’s new strategy to invest in “smart, clean, and secure” infrastructure in the digital, energy, and transport sectors, and to strengthen the global health, education, and research systems.
Akhannouch highlighted that “Global Gateway” puts Africa at the center of its strategy with an investment package of €150 billion (MAD 1.5 trillion) to support the continent’s physical and digital infrastructure.
Morocco, which has intensified its efforts in the continent over the past two decades, is now the first African investor in West Africa, and the second on the continent, Akhannouch recalled, reaffirming King Mohammed VI’s vision to further boost development in Africa.
“The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline is one of the most striking illustrations, Morocco is projecting itself on long-term infrastructure projects with our continent,” he noted.
For Akhannouch, the gas pipeline project linking Africa to Europe should be registered as a flagship initiative of the Global Gateway plan as it represents a powerful vector of regional and bicontinental integration.
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Speaking of Morocco’s role and ambition to act as a “gateway” between the two continents, the Head of Government pointed out to the “strategic” partnerships with the EU, recalling that the North African country is “the first country in the world to commit to the conclusion of a Green Partnership with the EU.”
With Morocco currently undergoing several ambitious reforms in education, social protection, and health, as well as implementing infrastructure that meets international standards, Akhannouch insisted on the country’s commitment “to ensure enhanced connectivity between the two continents.”
He cited the Tangier-Med port, which is today the first African and Mediterranean transshipment port. According to Akhnnouch, the iconic port in northern Morocco is part of a broader Moroccan network of world-class infrastructure projects whose main goal is to help connect the African and European continents by air, sea, rail, and road.
Under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, Morocco has adopted an integrated, participatory and comprehensive approach to implement a new development model (NDM).
Morocco has become a pioneer on renewable energy in the continent in the past decade, and the Kingdom is also at the forefront of new energy technologies, including the development of green hydrogen.
