Casablanca is hosting an African Cooperation Seminar on Hydrography, Oceanography, and Marine Cartography from October 8 to 10, bringing together experts and policymakers to strengthen continental collaboration in maritime sciences.
Organized by Morocco’s National Defense Administration and the Royal Navy under the instructions of King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander of the Royal Armed Forces, the seminar convenes representatives from African member countries of the Eastern Atlantic Hydrographic Commission (EAtHC), the Director of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), Norway’s Regional Electronic Chart Distribution Center, and the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the French Navy.
Several Moroccan institutions are also taking part, including the National Coordination Committee for Hydrography, Oceanography and Marine Cartography (CNCHOC), the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines, and the Policy Center for the New South.
The event is designed to create a platform for exchange and dialogue, highlighting the strategic role of hydrographic and oceanographic information in maritime security, the development of the blue economy, and the sustainable management of marine resources.
Discussions focus on the challenges of African cooperation in these fields, with participating countries sharing national experiences.
Morocco presented initiatives such as the Royal Atlantic Initiative and the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project as examples of structuring projects that could serve as models for regional collaboration.
At the opening of the seminar, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of the National Defense Administration, Abdeltif Loudyi, underscored Morocco’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with African hydrographic services and international organizations.
“Morocco intends to further develop its cooperation ties with the hydrographic services of African countries and specialized international organizations,” he said.
Moroccan Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, highlighted the Kingdom’s investment in modernizing its hydrographic and oceanographic infrastructure. “We are strengthening material resources dedicated to hydrography, oceanography and marine cartography, notably through a modern network of holographic and tidal data acquisition systems,” he explained.
He added that Morocco promotes regional collaboration through technical knowledge sharing, training, workshops, and joint projects. “These initiatives demonstrate the Kingdom’s desire to promote the transmission of knowledge and build maritime cooperation on a continental scale,” Baraka stated.
John Nyberg, Director of the IHO, praised Morocco’s progress, noting that “the Kingdom now occupies a leading position in the fields of hydrography and marine cartography on a regional scale” and is leveraging its expertise to support African nations in developing their technical and scientific capacities.
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