Royal Atlantic Initiative reflects Morocco’s continental integration vision

A strategic conference held in Rabat Thursday focused on the maritime strategic challenges of Atlantic Africa. The event comes months after King Mohammed VI launched the Atlantic Initiative in November 2023,outlining an ambitious geopolitical project at the intersection of sovereignty,development,and regional integration.

The conference,organized by the Policy Center for the New South under the theme “Atlantic Africa: Integration Ambition & Operationalization Process,” represents more than an academic colloquium—it marks a decisive milestone in redefining African relations with their Atlantic coastline. Morocco’s Atlantic Initiative aims to be distinctly African while engaging with contemporary global dynamics.

Mehdi Benomar,Head of International Relations at the Policy Center for the New South,emphasized that Atlantic Africa faces an urgent need for integration. Geopolitical instability,external shocks,and security vulnerabilities require coordinated responses rooted in African realities. “This need for integration is not a luxury,” he stated,“it’s a condition for political and economic survival for West and Central Africa.”

The initiative extends beyond security concerns to encompass development challenges through a security-development nexus approach. The sea is viewed not merely as a logistical corridor but as a strategic actor capable of generating wealth through offshore resources and energy corridors.

Jamal Machrouh,Senior Fellow at PCNS,expanded this systemic vision by highlighting the Initiative’s dual dynamics. The first involves structuring a geopolitical space specific to Atlantic African states to pool interests,harmonize strategies,and speak with one voice internationally. The second aims to provide sustainable sea access to landlocked countries,particularly Burkina Faso,Mali,and Niger.

For Machrouh,this dual initiative reflects a desire to transform geography into a lever for emancipation. Unlocking landlocked status involves more than logistics or infrastructure—it requires mental and political reconfiguration,connecting countries to the sea,commercial networks,prosperity,and stability.

The conference underscores a simple yet strong conviction: Africa’s future depends on its coasts and its capacity to envision its seas as bridges rather than borders.