Rabat — Rachid Talbi Alami, President of the Moroccan House of Representatives, recalled Morocco’s commitment towards Africa, evidenced through the Process of Atlantic African States.
Launched in 2009 in Rabat, Morocco’s Atlantic Initiative has been gaining momentum since June 2022, Talbi Alami said on Thursday, during the opening meeting gathering parliament presidents of the Atlantic African States.
He said the progress reflects King Mohammed VI’s commitment to the project implementation on the ground, and mirrors a “great shared dream” of building a united Africa that “fully utilizes its wealth for the benefit of all its peoples.”
King Mohammed VI’s vision is to make the African Atlantic coast a space for economic prosperity and cooperation, in addition to attracting international investors, the official said, calling on all African legislative institutions to contribute to realizing similar initiatives.
He also called for a fully mobilized campaign to ensure that public opinion endorses these projects and advocates for them on international levels within multilateral parliamentary forums.
For Talbi Alami, this requires the creation of a parliamentary network bringing together representatives of legislative institutions from the Atlantic African countries to coordinate contracts and advocate at the international level.
This also requires dialogue and cooperation between institutions and civil actors to integrate the initiative into actionable programs.
Recalling Morocco’s assets, Talbi Alami talked about the appeal of the country’s southern provinces. The region is home to the Dakhla Port, one of the largest ports on the continent, along with other important hubs like Laayoune, Tarfaya, Boujdou, and Tan-Tan. Further north, Morocco also boasts its grand port of Casablanca, a key economic maritime focal point along the country’s flourishing coastline. Notably, the Dakhla port serves as a bridge between Africa and Europe as well as America, in addition to the Mediterranean basin.
“All of this embodies the vision of his Majesty King Mohammed VI for an African partnership based on win-win logistics, based on the rights of Africans and Africans’ right to benefit from prosperity, technological development, and its wealth, free from any axis-based politics,” he added.
Morocco has long advocated for the Africa-first policy and its commitment towards the continent’s development.
In November of last year, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita elevated the country’s support for initiatives working towards the continent’s development during the 1st Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum.
“We come to Sochi with a strong conviction: It’s not Africa that needs the rest of the world. In fact, it’s the rest of the world that increasingly needs Africa,” he said, noting that the continent’s voices must be heard and respected on an international level.
