HM King Mohammed VI’s vision is to structure this area instead of abandoning it, with all its potential and challenges, in chaos, the minister told the House of Councillors during question time.

In this respect, he highlighted the three Royal Initiatives, namely the Atlantic African States process (PEAA), the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP), as well as the initiative aiming to provide Sahel countries with access to the Atlantic Ocean.

“These structuring initiatives aim to turn Africa into a continent aware of its opportunities and challenges and provide it with a clear vision during its dialogues with Europeans or Americans, which has been achieved on the High Instructions of HM the King, during the last years,” the minister stressed.

El Sr. Bourita also recalled that during His Green March speech in 2023, the Sovereign had underscored the Atlantic dimension of the Kingdom’s foreign policy, for several reasons, not least the fact that Morocco has 2,934 kilometers of Atlantic coastline, making it the continent's largest country in terms of Atlantic frontage.

He added that after the recovery of the Moroccan Sahara, this Atlantic dimension took on greater importance, given that cities such as Laayoune and Dakhla represent Morocco's gateway to Africa, and form the main axis of the Kingdom's Atlantic policy.

The minister also noted the strategic economic challenges posed by the African Atlantic space, stating that some 50% of Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is concentrated on its Atlantic seaboard, while almost 46% of the African population lives on the Atlantic coast, and 60% of African trade passes through Atlantic ports.

In addition, 23 African states, i.e. 45% of the continent's countries, border the Atlantic Ocean, and 50% of Africa's oil production takes place in the Atlantic Ocean, making the Atlantic space, according to el Sr. Bourita, an area of particular importance in the face of major challenges such as pollution, urban pressure and piracy, almost all of whose operations take place in the Atlantic Ocean, on the African side.