Doha – Morocco has reaffirmed its dedication to fostering an Africa capable of achieving inclusive growth and seizing opportunities available to the continent.
The statement came during the 39th Quarterly Briefing Meeting for African ambassadors held Tuesday at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) headquarters in Addis Ababa.
Mohamed Arrouchi, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the African Union and UNECA, articulated the country’s commitment to a transformed Africa while addressing key challenges facing the continent. He pinpointed the need for inclusive growth that creates jobs.
“Africa remains confronted with major challenges related to reduced development aid and limited access to affordable financing,” Arrouchi noted.
Despite these obstacles, the diplomat identified several advantages Africa possesses, including its natural resource wealth, young population, and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
These factors present significant opportunities for job creation and industrial development, along with the potential to address the climate crisis.
UNECA Executive Secretary Claver Gatete insisted on the urgent need to resolve the debt crisis and reform the UN system to optimize resources. He asserted that Africa must strengthen its domestic resources and reform financial architecture in response to declining international aid.
Other speakers at the meeting also spotlighted the major decrease in official development assistance to Africa and the necessity of enhancing domestic resources.
Morocco’s vision for Africa aligns with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita’s recent statements at the 5th ministerial meeting of the African Atlantic States Process in Cape Verde.
Since rejoining the African Union in 2017, Morocco has positioned itself as a strategic partner in continental development.
“For His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Atlantic Africa cannot be a periphery of the global world. It is a geostrategic heart, a dynamic interface between continents,” Bourita declared.
The minister characterized the African Atlantic Partnership as both a strategic instrument and a political, economic, and human process.
This approach embodies Morocco’s vision of shared responsibility and establishes foundations for cooperation in sustainable development, maritime security, environmental protection, and combating transnational threats.
Morocco’s Atlantic vision includes its initiative launched in November 2023 to provide landlocked Sahel countries access to the Atlantic Ocean through Moroccan infrastructure.
The project centers on the Dakhla Atlantique complex, designed as a gateway to the Sahel and expected to be completed by late 2028.
By advancing these initiatives, Morocco continues to strengthen its role as a key player in Africa’s economic transformation and regional integration.
