UN Secretary General echoes Morocco’s Atlantic Initiative for the Sahel

UN Secretary General Antonion Guterres highlighted in his annual report on the Sahara territory the relevance of Morocco’s Atlantic initiative to offer the Sahel access to the Atlantic.

Guterres referred to the Royal initiative “for the Atlantic coastline becoming a gateway for trade and economic integration with Africa and the Americas by facilitating access for the countries in the Sahel region to the Atlantic.”

He said the initiative is aimed at making the Sahara territory a hub for trade between landlocked Sahel countries and the rest of the World.

King Mohammed VI had in a speech in November last year said “my goal is to transform the Atlantic region into a space for human interaction and economic integration, and to make sure it plays a key role at continental and international levels.”

“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 initiative is gathering momentum in Africa, notably among landlocked Sahel states such as Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad.

Morocco had on multiple occasions said it was ready to offer its infrastructure and logistics to materialize this initiative, which shall be backed by other plans, including the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline.