2024-07-07 21:48:10
At a time when Africa is facing multiple challenges linked to a complex global economic and political situation, this initiative with a strong economic and strategic impact will forever change the face of the continent and transform the Sahel into a zone of prosperity and stability, stressed the speakers at this meeting organized by the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS), as part of the 7th General Assembly of the Atlantic Federation of African Press Agencies (FAAPA).
At the opening of this event, the President of FAAPA, Director General of the Maghreb Arab Press Agency (MAP), Fouad Arif, emphasized the multidimensional importance of the Royal Strategic Initiative aimed at promoting access for landlocked Sahel countries to the Atlantic Coast of Morocco, announced during the Speech delivered by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the Green March.
“This Initiative, just like the values of our Federation, is based on imperative prerequisites, namely win-win partnerships with a concrete impact in the service of Africans, capable of unleashing the enormous potential of the Atlantic region in all areas,” explained Mr. Arif during this round table, in the presence of Directors General of African press agencies, experts as well as eminent personalities from the African Atlantic region.
He noted that the relevant choice of the theme of this round table devoted to the “development potential of Atlantic Africa” makes it possible to approach the issue from multiple angles: political, economic, social and even environmental.
For his part, Mohamed Loulichki, Senior Fellow at the PCNS, noted that this Royal Initiative, dedicated to promoting co-development in the Sahel region and improving access to the Atlantic Ocean, opens up new promising perspectives for the present and future of Africa and its socio-economic development.
The Royal Initiative, which is part of the Kingdom’s African policy, will notably help to accelerate the development of suitable maritime infrastructure, robust economies and flourishing export industries, noted the former ambassador of the Kingdom to the United Nations, considering it essential to promote a “broader Atlantic alliance”.
In the face of challenges related to population growth and climate change, it is important to promote effective regional integration and effective operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), he added.
Referring to the impact that global geopolitical, security and economic changes have had on the region, Paul Isbell, professor at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, for his part, highlighted the strategic dimension of pan-Atlanticism for the promotion of the South Atlantic. He thus highlighted the interest of the partnership for Atlantic cooperation, a regional mechanism for coordination between the countries concerned on issues related in particular to the marine environment, climate, the blue economy and maritime and human security.
The discussions during this round table focused on the multiple facets of the immense development potential that the African Atlantic holds, through the examination of avenues for sustainable development and regional integration in this area.
By harnessing its diverse strengths, the African Atlantic can address its complex realities and forge unity across borders, participants noted, adding that states in the region are called upon to address challenges and chart a path of collaboration towards sustainable and equitable development.
They also stressed the need to establish adequate financing mechanisms, noting the importance of a common economic take-off that takes into account both the design of projects and their implementation.
2024-07-07 21:48:10