The Moroccan Initiative to Connect the Sahel Countries to the Atlantic Ocean: Economic, Political, and Strategic Dimensions

Dr. Ayyad Jaloul (Lebanese researcher)

      Recent years have witnessed a growth in regional initiatives to promote African integration and achieve shared development. Within this framework, the Moroccan initiative to connect the African Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean represents a multi-dimensional strategic project aimed at strengthening South-South partnerships, achieving economic integration, and addressing the security and political challenges facing the region. This paper aims to analyze the economic and political dimensions of the initiative and identify the challenges and stakes associated with it.

    The Moroccan initiative to connect the Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean is a strategic step aimed at reshaping the region's economic and political geography. It aims to enable isolated Sahel countries to gain access to the Atlantic Ocean via Moroccan territory, extending thousands of kilometers. This initiative comes in the context of the security and development challenges facing the Sahel region, and in light of Morocco's growing desire to provide a strong boost to development in the disputed region, which is geographically closest to the Sahel countries. It also aims to strengthen Morocco's economic, political, and regional role in Africa.

    The general framework for this initiative came when Moroccan King Mohammed VI addressed the nation on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the Green March, in which he said, “The African Atlantic front suffers from a tangible shortage in infrastructure and investments, despite its high human resources and abundant natural resources. From this standpoint, we are working with our brothers in Africa and all our partners to find practical and effective answers to these challenges, within the framework of international cooperation.” The strategic Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline project falls within this framework. King Mohammed VI emphasized that this project aims to achieve regional integration and joint economic take-off, and to encourage development dynamics along the Atlantic coast. He also emphasized that it “will constitute a secure source of energy supply for European countries.” This same approach prompted Morocco to launch the initiative to create an institutional framework bringing together the 23 African Atlantic countries, with the aim of consolidating security. The royal speech considered that “the problems and difficulties facing the sister countries of the Sahel region will not be resolved solely through security and military dimensions, but rather by adopting an approach based on cooperation and joint development.” He proposed “launching an initiative… At the international level, it aims to enable the Sahel countries to access the Atlantic Ocean. The success of this initiative depends on upgrading the infrastructure of the Sahel countries and working to connect them to the transportation and communications networks of their regional surroundings. Morocco is prepared to place its road, port, and railway infrastructure at the disposal of these sister countries, in the belief that this initiative will represent a fundamental transformation in their economies and in the entire region.

By analyzing the royal speech, this Atlantic initiative aims to open up the maritime frontiers of the Sahel countries of Africa, specifically Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania, and Chad, with the aim of enabling these countries to access the Atlantic Ocean to benefit from economic and development opportunities. This initiative is not isolated from Morocco's African policy, which focuses on strengthening economic and trade cooperation with the countries of the continent, with an emphasis on partnerships in areas such as sustainable development, energy, and infrastructure. This initiative seeks to activate its role as a bridge to communication with other African countries and affirm its presence at all levels. It should also not be separated from two other initiatives: the African Atlantic Initiative, which comprises 23 African countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean, and the gas pipeline that will connect Nigeria and Morocco, which will pass through 11 countries.

This Moroccan initiative falls within the framework of South-South cooperation and the African Union's Agenda 2063, the continent's "strategic framework" plan, which aims to achieve the goal of comprehensive and sustainable development. It is a tangible embodiment of the comprehensive African will for unity, self-determination, freedom, progress, and collective prosperity. It is also an extension of Morocco's economic and political presence in West Africa, where Morocco is the leading investor, home to major Moroccan industrial, commercial, and financial institutions. When it comes to the initiative to open the Atlantic coast to the Sahel countries, Morocco, through its African policy, adopts an equation that links the duality of development and security. Morocco believes that security issues cannot be addressed solely through security approaches, but must be linked to the economic dimension and human development. It is in this context that the Moroccan initiative comes, regardless of the challenges, obstacles, and problems involved. In this context, we must not forget that Morocco is developing the Dakhla Atlantic Port by 2029, a new port located in the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region in southern Morocco, which will enable the development of the marine fishing sector. In the region, and the development of trade exchanges, especially as it will be the Kingdom of Morocco's gateway to the Atlantic Ocean and the American continent, in addition to its geostrategic objectives. Netrift was chosen to host the Dakhla Atlantic Port, a site located 40 km north of the city of Dakhla, in the rural commune of El Argoub. This will serve as a second model for the Tangier Med Port, a Moroccan industrial port complex located 45 km northeast of Tangier and opposite Tarifa, Spain (15 km north) on the Strait of Gibraltar. With a capacity of up to 9 million containers, it is one of the largest industrial ports in the world and the largest port in Africa and the Mediterranean. The port annually attracts approximately 7 million passengers and 700,000 trucks, and exports one million vehicles. As for the Dakhla Atlantic Port, its role is not limited to receiving ships only; it is expected to transform into a major logistics platform for the processing of goods arriving from the African Sahel countries, whether by land, sea, or air, thus enhancing economic integration and contributing to achieving comprehensive regional development.

Therefore, the dimensions The economic, political and strategic aspects were not absent from this Moroccan initiative, which we will discuss in the following points:

First: The economic dimensions of the initiative :

The Moroccan initiative comes within the context of supporting African integration and overcoming development challenges in the Sahel region, through:

• Strengthening infrastructure, which is one of the cornerstones of achieving African integration and overcoming development challenges.
• Launching strategic projects (such as the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline).
• Creating an institutional framework that brings together the countries of Atlantic Africa, with the aim of achieving sustainable development, ensuring security and stability, and making Africa an effective partner at the international level, particularly in the energy sector.
• Regional integration and shared development:
  • The initiative seeks to create an integrated economic space linking the countries of the African Sahel and the countries of Atlantic Africa.
  • Facilitating trade exchanges and maritime and land transport.
  • Reducing disparities between coastal and inland areas.
• Stimulating investment and developing infrastructure:
  • Focus on bridging the gap in infrastructure (ports, roads, pipelines, energy networks).
  • Creating an environment that encourages private and public investment.
  • Opening up opportunities for international partnerships and global financial institutions.
• Morocco-Nigeria Gas Pipeline Project:
  • A massive project linking Nigeria (an economic power in West Africa) to Morocco, passing through several African countries.
  • It aims to:
    • Providing African countries with affordable energy.
    • Providing an alternative and stable source of energy to Europe.
    • Create direct and indirect jobs.
    • Strengthening cooperation in the fields of energy and industrial development.
• Strengthening Atlantic Africa's position in global trade:
  • Exploiting the geographical location of African Atlantic countries to create strategic sea lanes.
  • Integrating the continent into global supply chains.
  • Transforming the Atlantic Ocean into a space for development rather than a geographical barrier.
• Achieving energy and economic security for the continent:
  • Contributing to the long-term energy security of the African continent.
  • Reducing dependence on external energy sources.
  • Enabling countries to negotiate fairer terms in the international energy market.
  • Launching strategic projects (such as the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline).
• Logistics and commercial connectivity:
  • Establishing transport routes, railways, and logistics corridors leading to Moroccan ports (such as the future port of Dakhla, Tangier Med, and Casablanca).
  • Facilitating the movement of goods and investments between the Sahel, Europe and Latin America across the Atlantic.
• Stimulating economic development in Sahel countries:
  • Providing landlocked countries with a strategic outlet for import and export.
  • Reducing dependence on traditional ports in neighbouring countries (such as Dakar in Senegal or Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire).
  • Attracting foreign investment and improving the business climate.
• Morocco's role as an African economic hub:
  • Strengthening Morocco's position as a commercial and logistical gateway to West and Central Africa.
  • Taking advantage of free trade agreements with Europe and the United States to facilitate the transit of goods to and from Africa.

Second: Political and strategic dimensions :

Considering The political and strategic dimensions of the Moroccan initiative to connect the African Sahel countries to the Atlantic OceanIt can be analyzed as follows:

1. Strengthening Morocco's position in Africa
2. The initiative embodies the African openness policy pursued by Morocco since its return to the African Union in 2017. It seeks to affirm Morocco's leadership as a reliable actor in building partnerships within the continent, away from tutelary or subservient approaches.
   1. Strengthening relations with the new ruling regimes in the Sahel countries, especially after successive coups, is considered a practical and realistic diplomatic approach within the framework of the Moroccan initiative.
   1. Confirming the Moroccan presence in Africa, which comes within the framework of Escalating international competition in Africa between major powers (such as China, Russia, France, and Turkey) has led to a decline in France's role and the emergence of a geopolitical vacuum. Political crises and coups in the Sahel countries have also led to a shift in regional alliances.

o     Pragmatic dealing with political transformations:

Following a series of military coups in countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, it has become necessary to adopt a realistic approach to dealing with the existing authorities, to avoid isolating these countries or leaving them vulnerable to the influence of competing external powers.

o     Promoting regional stability:

Communicating with new regimes helps maintain channels of dialogue and cooperation, limiting the chances of tension or estrangement that could harm regional stability, especially since these countries play a vital role in security issues and the fight against terrorism.

o     Supporting the transition and development process:

Through these relations, Morocco can offer a model of cooperation, a developmental alternative, and a stable mediator in the face of the regional chaos being perpetrated by some of Morocco's neighbors. This model is not based solely on immediate interests; it also includes contributing to institution-building and promoting development, thereby supporting the stability of these regimes and encouraging them to gradually open up.

o     Gaining trust and strategic partnership:

Opening up to these regimes in an international context sometimes characterized by hesitation or condemnation allows Morocco to strengthen its position as a reliable and independent actor, capable of building balanced relations with various actors, without being subject to external pressure.

o     A more diplomatic version of the paragraph:

“The initiative also seeks to enhance cooperation with the existing authorities in the Sahel countries, in light of recent political transformations, based on supporting stability, providing conditions for development, and building partnerships based on mutual interests and mutual respect..”

• Security dimension:

The security dimension represents a fundamental pillar of the Moroccan initiative, given that the Sahel region is one of the most fragile regions in terms of stability, facing complex challenges that include growing terrorist threats, the spread of smuggling and organized crime networks, irregular migration, and the fragility of state institutions in several of its countries. In this context, the initiative seeks to:

• Strengthening regional security through a holistic approach It combines development, logistical connectivity, and infrastructure investment as indirect means of enhancing stability. Connecting these countries to the Atlantic Ocean can contribute to Breaking the geographical isolation, which is one of the most prominent factors feeding extremism and security fragility.It also provides new opportunities for economic development and creates a climate of regional cooperation.
• Strengthening logistical capabilities and land and sea connectivity will Facilitating security coordination and information exchange between the concerned countries...and enhancing the ability to monitor borders and control suspicious movements, especially in open desert areas.
• Combating terrorism and instability in the Sahel:
• The Sahel region is suffering from growing terrorist threats, and the initiative is based on a vision that considers Development is a condition for security.
• Improving economic conditions and infrastructure contributes to reducing the roots of extremism and recruitment into armed groups.
• Ensuring maritime security in the African Atlantic:
• The initiative seeks to secure Atlantic sea lanes facing threats such as:
  • Piracy.
  • Smuggling weapons, drugs and humans.
• Establishing an institutional framework for the Atlantic countries (23 countries) aimed at: Information exchange and security coordination.
• Energy security and supply stability:
• The gas pipeline project has security dimensions related to ensuring the flow of energy and protecting it from any threat or political blackmail.
• Cooperation between the countries concerned can result in: joint security mechanism To protect critical cross-border infrastructure.
• Reducing illegal immigration:
• By improving living conditions and development, the initiative seeks to: Addressing the roots of migration Instead of being limited to narrow security approaches.
• This has a positive impact on the relationship between Morocco and the Sahel countries and their European partners.

Third: Challenges and Obstacles

Despite the strategic importance of the Moroccan initiative to connect the African Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean, there are numerous structural, political, and geostrategic challenges that could slow the achievement of its goals or complicate its practical path. The most prominent of these challenges are:

1- Political instability in the Sahel countries:
The region is witnessing profound political transformations as a result of multiple military coups and changing regimes in several countries. This raises questions about the legitimacy of local partners, the sustainability of bilateral agreements, and undermines the trust necessary to implement long-term strategic projects.

2The fragility of the infrastructure in some of the affected countries:
Many Sahel countries, particularly landlocked ones, suffer from significant weaknesses in transportation, road, and energy networks. This exacerbates the cost of logistical connectivity and requires massive investments to rehabilitate road corridors, railways, and the essential technical platforms on which the project's success depends.

3- Regional and international competition in the region:
The Sahel region is an open arena for competition between major international and regional powers (France, Russia, China, Turkey, and others), which could lead to the initiative being exploited in existing conflicts for influence, or attempts to obstruct its progress, especially if it is framed within sharp geopolitical polarizations.

4- Limited funding and the need for effective international partnerships:
Despite the political support the initiative enjoys from major international powers, most notably the United States and several European countries, the financing aspect remains a real challenge, given the project's massive financial resources, which exceed the capabilities of local actors. This calls for openness to international financing institutions and balanced economic partnerships with major economic powers and multiple donors, within a coordinated and effective institutional framework that ensures the project's sustainability and independent decision-making.

conclusion

The Moroccan initiative to connect the Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean is a strategic project with significant economic potential. It also reflects a well-thought-out political ambition to strengthen Morocco's role on the continent. If Morocco succeeds in overcoming the challenges associated with this initiative, it could represent a qualitative shift in African regional balances and open new horizons for development and stability.

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