Morocco advocates strategic rethinking of Africa’s maritime role

Monday 09 June 2025 - 15:35

By: Zahouani Ilham

Morocco advocates strategic rethinking of Africa’s maritime role

His Majesty King Mohammed VI has emphasized the need for a strategic reassessment of Africa’s maritime role, focusing on three key pillars: blue growth; enhanced South-South cooperation and regional integration around oceanic spaces; and maritime effectiveness through Atlantic synergies.

In a message delivered in Nice during the “Africa for the Ocean” Summit, co-chaired by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa and French President Emmanuel Macron, the King stressed that the blue economy is not merely an ecological luxury but a vital strategic necessity.

King Mohammed VI highlighted sectors such as sustainable aquaculture, renewable energy, offshore industries, port infrastructure, marine biotechnology, and responsible coastal tourism as areas with strong potential — provided they are well-structured, interconnected, part of a value chain, and supported by significant investments and appropriate regulations. This vision aligns with Morocco’s national strategy aimed at fostering growth, social inclusion, and human development.

The King also noted Morocco’s major projects reshaping the country’s port landscape, including the Tanger Med container port and the upcoming Nador West-Med and Dakhla Atlantique ports, all supported by robust logistical and industrial ecosystems.

Regarding the second pillar, the King underscored the necessity of collective effort for South-South cooperation and regional oceanic integration, emphasizing that the maritime challenge is continental, not merely national. He called for a unified African approach to optimize maritime value chains, secure trade routes, and capture a fairer share of the global ocean economy.

Africa must also actively protect marine biodiversity, genetic resources, and marine protected areas, while establishing maritime security mechanisms tailored to its needs and presenting a unified voice on the global oceanic stage.

For the third pillar, maritime effectiveness through Atlantic synergies, His Majesty pointed out the untapped potential of Africa’s Atlantic coast, long overlooked despite its vital role in connectivity, transit, and continental projection. He introduced the African Atlantic States Initiative to transform this coastline into a strategic zone for dialogue, collective security, mobility, and economic integration under innovative governance.

The King further extended this vision to Sahel countries, emphasizing the importance of providing these nations with reliable maritime outlets. He also mentioned the Atlantic African Gas Pipeline project as a key energy corridor and a driver of new geo-economic opportunities in West Africa.

His Majesty concluded by recognizing the oceans as essential pillars of food sovereignty, climate resilience, energy security, and territorial cohesion. He reminded that the ocean reflects identity, consumption, exploitation, and legacy. Africa’s strength lies in unity, and protecting the ocean as a shared space of peace, stability, and development remains a collective responsibility.