Morocco-Africa-Atlantic conference: Advancing the integration of Sahel nations into the Atlantic Initiative

During a session titled “What is the Roadmap for Implementing the Initiative of the Atlantic Front and Sahel Countries?” at the seventh edition of the “Morocco Today Forum,” Methqal highlighted a significant meeting in Marrakech.

This gathering brought together the Foreign Ministers of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad, where they agreed to establish a task force in each country to prepare for the mechanisms required to implement this royal initiative.

Methqal emphasized that this initiative aims to be a project that enhances the economic integration of the region’s countries, noting that they face many common challenges.

He pointed to infrastructure and mobility issues, highlighting the role of the new Dakhla Atlantic Port in addressing these challenges. Methqal also discussed the energy transition challenges, alongside those related to human development.

Echoing this sentiment, the Ambassador of Mali to Morocco, Fafré Camara, expressed his country’s full support for the “bold and credible” initiative. He remarked that it provides an opportunity for developing and creating new infrastructure and projects.

Technical Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso, Lingani Houges Christian, confirmed his country’s commitment to the initiative, recalling the steps taken to activate this integration, including the establishment of a national task force.

Under the theme “Atlantic Africa: Towards an Integrated, Inclusive, and Prosperous Continental Area,” the conference, organized by the “Le Matin” Group in partnership with the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation and the Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab Regional Council, aimed to discuss the potential, necessary measures, and challenges to achieving the royal vision for developing the Atlantic front of Africa and connecting it to the Sahel countries.

The conference also sought to bring together all stakeholders involved in this royal vision to discuss the obstacles to its realization, with the goal of formulating recommendations to be included in a white paper.