African leaders praise Morocco's Atlantic Facade initiative
Morocco is becoming an increasingly important player on the international and continental scene. In this context, parliamentarians from all African countries showed their support in Rabat for Morocco's strategic vocation of leading the way for African countries to reach out to the Atlantic.
The event was held in the Moroccan House of Representatives under the slogan ‘Promoting a parliamentary network for a stable, integrated and prosperous Atlantic Africa’. The convention was aligned with the interests of the Process of the Atlantic African States (PEAA) and was attended by the presidents of the Houses of Representatives of each country.
The meeting was opened by the President of the Moroccan House of Representatives, Rachid Talbi Alami, who pointed out that this initiative, which moves away from any regionalist tendencies, fulfils the objective of creating a new prosperous and united Africa to turn the African Atlantic front into a human place of economic integration, social welfare and international appeal.
Talbi said that it is a strategic project with historical and geopolitical consequences for the African continent and the world, investing in the available potential of the 23 countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean, to create value.
‘Our country is making its basic infrastructure available to the continent, in particular roads, ports and airports, as links to connect Africa with each other and with the rest of the world, taking advantage of its strategic location’.
Talbi summarised the Moroccan Atlantic Facade initiative in six points: the importance of the extension of the Atlantic coast; the richness of the fishing; the stability and security; the human resources, especially young people; the land resources; and the historical heritage.
The president ended his speech by clarifying that the proposals of the Atlantic Facade will serve to complement existing initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area, and clarified that it will also be a gateway to European and American markets.
During the meeting, the potential of the African-Mediterranean space was highlighted, which is rich in human and natural resources and capacities, as it is home to 46% of the continent's population, generates 55% of Africa's Gross Domestic Product and is a huge market that supplies 57% of continental trade. Furthermore, the African Atlantic coastline occupies more than 15,000 kilometres of coastline and also has more than 4.8 billion kilometres of exclusive economic zones.
To this end, African countries, especially those in the Sahel region, will have to adopt strategic legislative measures that will enable them to help each other and optimise the use of their natural resources, since better development of industry could quadruple the added value of exports and, therefore, strengthen value chains.
Among the requests made, the inclusion of more countries on the continent, the promotion of public-private partnerships, the facilitation of cross-border trade, the improvement of maritime networks and the reduction of bureaucratic barriers affecting investment, imports and exports stood out.
One of Morocco's main allies in the region is Nigeria, with whom it is developing one of the most important projects: the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline that will link the 14 countries of the Atlantic coast and facilitate energy supply.
In this respect, Tajudeen Abbas, president of the Nigerian House of Representatives, praised Morocco's role, which he considers altruistic and which will serve ‘as a cornerstone of access to energy and regional integration in West Africa’.
Other representatives also showed their support, such as the President of the National Assembly of Mauritania, Mohamed Bamba Meguett; the President of the National Assembly of Senegal, El Malick Ndiay; and the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of the Congo, Isidore Mvouba. They all agreed that they would support and contribute to the development of the Moroccan Atlantic Facade initiative.