Reimagining Geostrategy: Exploring Atlantic Africa's New Frontier
For centuries, the Atlantic Ocean has presented challenges to Africans, serving as a conduit for invaders, colonizers, slave traders, and criminal enterprises that exploited its vast expanse. However, a new perspective is emerging, envisioning the Atlantic as a frontier of opportunity, a realm of boundless possibilities for shared prosperity and growth.
On November 6, 2023, King Mohamed VI of Morocco issued a clarion call to Africans, urging them "to transform the Atlantic coast into an area of human communication, economic integration, and continental and international visibility." This vision resonates with more than 20 African nations, united under the Process of African Atlantic States (PEAA), whose officials have convened regularly since 2022 to lay the foundations for this collaborative endeavor.
The strategic objectives underpinning this vision are pillars of the envisioned shared prosperity. Developing a sustainable blue economy, establishing robust logistics and energy infrastructure connections, boosting trade and supply chain interconnectivity, fostering research collaboration among universities, facilitating the free flow of goods and persons, and enhancing shared initiatives between the private sector and civil society are paramount goals.
Protecting marine ecosystems from pollution, overfishing, and unsustainable drilling, as well as securing shared borders and coasts against organized crime and trans-border threats, are crucial prerequisites for creating an environment conducive to shared growth and prosperity.
At the heart of this initiative lies the ambitious multibillion-dollar natural gas pipeline project from Nigeria to Morocco, spanning 14 West African countries. This energy connectivity will not only ensure a steady energy supply but also catalyze the growth of ecosystems of services, technical expertise, and job opportunities along the pipeline's path.
A network of ports and logistical stations stretching over 8,000 nautical miles from Cape Town to Tangiers, encompassing cities like Luanda, Libreville, Accra, Abidjan, Freetown, Dakar, Nouadhibou, Dakhla, and Casablanca, will facilitate seamless movement of goods, boosting local economies, especially for small West African nations.
Beyond trade and energy logistics, collaborative initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable coastal fishing and eco-tourism in bays, lagoons, and along coastlines will help sustain communities and create much-needed employment opportunities, particularly in impoverished regions along the Atlantic African coast. Countries like Morocco, South Africa, Senegal, and Côte d'Ivoire could leverage their expertise to promote sustainable fishing practices, develop community-led tourism, and organize cultural events, paving the way for others to follow.
An integrated Atlantic Africa also hinges on addressing security challenges collectively. Narco-trafficking, trans-border crime, human trafficking, and terrorism present interconnected threats that demand cooperation, information sharing, and joint action, supported by intelligence, equipment, and training assistance from non-African countries.
Crucially, the Atlantic Initiative Vision aims to ensure that landlocked and non-coastal countries like Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Central African Republic, Lesotho, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Zambia are not left behind. Dedicated roads and logistical facilities, in cooperation with coastal nations like Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal, could provide these countries with access to ports, enabling them to diversify their economies and tap into trade and investment opportunities previously limited to coastal states.
Integrated Atlantic Africa may seem an ambitious vision, but it is an achievable one, contingent upon the presence of a shared will and effective leadership to drive large-scale integrative projects, such as the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline. Africans must embrace the belief that shared prosperity is within their grasp, provided they change their perception of the Atlantic, from a source of adversity to a frontier of boundless possibilities.