King Mohammed VI urges international initiative to enable Sahel countries to access Atlantic coast

King Mohammed VI has called for launching an international initiative to help Sahel countries access the Atlantic Ocean.

In a speech marking the 48th anniversary of the Green March he delivered Monday evening, the King recalled the difficulties facing African sister countries in the Sahel.

Such issues “will not be solved by security and military measures alone, but rather by an approach based on cooperation and shared development,” he said.

“I therefore suggest that we launch an international initiative to enable the Sahel countries to have access to the Atlantic Ocean,” the King said.

The success of such an initiative, however, “hinges on upgrading infrastructure in the Sahel countries and seeking to connect it to transport and communication networks existing in the region,” he said.

He vowed that Morocco will put all its transport and logistics infrastructure at the disposal of Sahel countries to bring into being such an initiative that promises a transformation of the economies of these countries.

African countries bordering the Atlantic are poised to achieve regional integration, development, and joint growth through structural win-win projects, said King Mohammed VI.

The King highlighted the challenges facing African countries, particularly those bordering the Atlantic, citing a significant deficit in infrastructure and investment, despite skilled human capital and abundant natural resources.

“We have been working with African sister nations and with our partners to come up with practical and effective answers to this situation within the framework of international cooperation.

“The Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline strategic project is part of that endeavor,” he said, adding that such a project is tailored to foster regional integration, boost joint economic growth, and serve development objectives in the countries bordering the Atlantic.

Beyond Africa, the same project “will also guarantee energy supplies for European countries,” he said.

Morocco had launched an initiative to create an institutional framework that brings together the twenty-three African countries bordering the Atlantic with the aim to promote security, stability, and shared prosperity, recalled the King.