The only way Africa will develop and become the vision that its founding fathers envisioned it to be is through African Unity and African integration. This means every African country working together, instead of each country closing their borders, minding their business, and doing their own thing. Take, for instance, the insecurity crisis that has plagued the countries in the Sahel for years, supposing every African country decides to work together to fight the insurgents and armed rebels who are the cause of this crisis, the situation would certainly not be the way it is today. Instead what we see is that each African country is left to deal with its problem by itself or wait for foreign governments who do not have the interest of the African country to deal with the problem. Why do we say that African problems can only be solved with an African solution if African countries are not working together? A true pan-African country does not just focus on its own problem but also extends a helping hand to its fellow African countries. This is what we need to applaud the government of Morocco for. Morocco is a true Pan-African country indeed. What did Morocco do and why do we say it’s a true Pan-African country? Let’s find out in this video.

Since the wave of coups hit the Sahel region, leading to sanctions imposed by the international community and foreign governments on countries of the Sahel, most especially Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, only a few African countries have thrown their support behind them. The West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, made up of 15 African countries excluding Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger has shown itself in recent times that it is nothing but puppets for the West. Yes, military coups violate the democratic principle by which ECOWAS stands but wasn’t it obvious that these recent coups that happened in these countries were revolutionary and were accepted by the people and therefore made it democratic? So, instead of looking at the situation critically and deciding on the right course of action, ECOWAS decided to follow the steps of foreign governments and not only condemn the coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger but also suspended them from the bloc and imposed stringent economic sanctions on countries that were already struggling. In Niger, the regional bloc headed by Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu even threatened to intervene militarily if the deposed president who was a French puppet wasn’t reinstated. How can a bloc whose mission is supposed to help in the integration of West African countries impose sanctions that would isolate its members economically? It certainly doesn’t make sense and only proves the point that ECOWAS has failed in its mission as a bloc.

It’s baffling that the bloc has not done anything to help fight the insecurity crisis in the Sahel but when it’s time to pass sanctions on the country because of the coup that occurred as a result of the insecurity in the first place, ECOWAS was at the forefront, making itself available for the West to push it’s agenda. If the purpose of the sanctions imposed by the bloc on Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso was truly to defend its democratic principle, why didn’t it impose sanctions on Chad when a coup occurred there? How hypocritical ECOWAS is. The African Union is also not different. When the insecurity first started in the Sahel region, the African Union was lax in finding solutions to the problem. It didn’t even attempt to work with the Malian government to try and combat the crisis before it spread to other African countries. Mali, left with no option, had to seek help from the French government which had only its interest in mind and what was the result of that? Today the insecurity is worse off than when the French forces were not in the country.

While some countries such as Guinea which is also currently being ruled by a military government have expressed solidarity with Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, it’s Morocco that has gone a step ahead to extend a helping hand to these countries in Central Sahel. During the 48th anniversary of the glorious Green March, the King of Morocco, His Royal Highness, King Mohammed VI announced an international initiative to grant Sahel countries access to the Atlantic Ocean. This is big news. The King stressed that this initiative requires an improvement and upgrading of the infrastructure within the Sahel countries to integrate them into existing regional transportation and communication networks. But, he further explained that the Initiative would allow countries of the Sahel to have access to Morocco’s road and port infrastructure. In his own words, “Morocco is willing to put its road, port, and rail infrastructure at the disposal of these sister countries,” in support of this initiative and stressed that “the success of such an initiative hinges on upgrading infrastructure in the Sahel countries and seeking to connect it to transport and communication networks existing in the region.”

Now, Morocco did not just stop at saying that they have granted Sahelian countries access to the Atlantic Ocean, they put their words into action by hosting a Ministerial Coordination Meeting on the Royal Initiative to Enhance Atlantic Ocean Access for Sahel Countries on 22-23 of December at Marrakech. This meeting was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Mali, Abdoulaye Diop, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and Nationals of Burkina Faso Abroad, Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Nationals of Niger Abroad, Bakary Yaou Sangaré, and the Director General for Africa and African Integration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nationals of Chad Abroad and International Cooperation, Abakar Kourma. The meeting served to begin laying the foundations for development cooperation, which, according to the Moroccan minister, Nasser Bourita, has been constantly raised by King Mohammed VI when addressing the situation in the Sahel. During the joint press conference held by Morocco and the Foreign Ministers of the Sahel, Nasser Bourita, Morocco’s minister revealed that the King of Morocco has always taken important decisions in favor of these states, including the exemption of customs duties on the entry of their products into the Moroccan market and the cancellation of their debts.

Nasser further stated that the approach by the US, France, and the international community to focus solely on combating the insecurity crisis in the region is not adequate and that Morocco’s strategy to fight the insecurity is through offering development opportunities. He said that this development approach is capable of offering solutions to the real problems of these states. This is very correct. Why do you think that those Islamist jihadist are growing rapidly in this region? It’s because they set up their bases in local communities that are very poor and far away from the government’s hands and so they utilize this by promising the locals food, and money in exchange for joining them. With that kind of offer, what do you think the locals would do? Now, imagine if Mali is as developed as Morocco or Rwanda, it would have been harder for the jihadists to spread and grow so fast.

The Moroccan Minister also added that the stability of the countries of the region must emanate from their own will and not be imposed from outside, noting that the Sahel has the potential and human resources to develop a vision of its future. The Minister was no doubt referring to the interference by foreign governments such as France, the UN, the US, and the European Union who despite their presence in the Sshel country failed to end or even reduce the insecurity. This is indeed a true statement of African problems being solved by African solutions. Nasser Bourita also gave some reasons why the Royal Initiative is strategically beneficial to all the countries involved. First he said that the tradition of cooperation, mutual aid and solidarity has always existed between Morocco, the sovereigns of Morocco and the brotherly countries of the Sahel. In this regard, he recalled that King Mohammed VI has always valued and promoted these ties, noting that the Royal Initiative is an extension of the active and supportive commitment of the Kingdom, and the Sovereign personally, alongside the brotherly countries of the Sahel.

Second, the minister said that the King has always believed in the potential of the Sahel countries. “Where many see problems, the King sees opportunities. Where some speak of despair, the King sees potential, and where some opt for easy solutions, the King advocates the use of funds to develop real solutions,” And for this reason, the King advocates that development is the key to solving the problems in the Sahel. The meeting concluded with the foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad expressing their countries’ support for the International Initiative of Mohammed VI to promote the access of the Sahel States to the Atlantic Ocean and signing several agreements with Morocco.

This Royal Initiative by the Morocco government is highly timely because first the Sahel countries which are landlocked face unique geopolitical challenges due to their lack of direct access to the sea and so they often rely on coastal neighbors for trade routes and access to international markets. Secondly, in recent times these countries especially Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have been suffering from stringent economic sanctions imposed on them by ECOWAS, WAEMU, France and recently Algeria, following the participation of these countries in the Marrakech meeting among Morocco and Sahel last December. Coupled with the insecurity and political instability they have to deal with, these countries are certainly going through a lot. So, this initiative from Morocco would go a long way in building the development of these countries. African Atlantic ports, particularly those in coastal countries like Morocco, hold substantial geopolitical importance for landlocked Sahel nations; they can provide crucial gateways to global markets and serve as trade facilitation hubs. Indeed, the Moroccan initiative could help alleviate the economic bottlenecks by tackling the issue of high trade and transport costs in the Sahel, as well as the weak and low-quality infrastructure challenges.

This initiative is truly a welcome development for countries of the Sahel and they have expressed their excitement at the initiative. Bakary Yaou Sangaré, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Nigerians Abroad stated that “The Sahel has always been at the heart of Morocco’s foreign policy, which is a “reliable partner” for the countries of the region. In this regard, the minister commented that the Sahel countries intend to “do everything possible to make the most of” this Royal Initiative, which aims to give a new impetus to the development of the region’s states. He further added that “The King’s Atlantic Initiative “will allow us not only to develop our infrastructures but also to open up our countries internally and internationally,” Kudos to Morocco for this wonderful initiative. If more African countries extend helping hands to each other and work together instead of doing their own thing, the vision of a new Africa, a strong Africa, a bold Africa that takes responsibility for defending its interests, and an Africa influential in the concert of nations, would be achieved in the shortest possible time.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below. Don’t forget to like, subscribe and share this video.