His Majesty King Mohammed VI's Vision for an integrated Atlantic Africa was highlighted Wednesday in Banjul, during a conference on the Atlantic African States Process (AASP), launched by the Sovereign in 2022.
Held under the theme "Integrated Approach for Africa’s Development," the meeting was organized by the Moroccan Embassy in The Gambia, in partnership with the University of The Gambia. It brought together over a hundred participants, including Gambian Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad Sering Modou Njie, Minister of Information and Media Ismaila Ceesay, Moroccan Chargé d’Affaires Ahmed Belhadj, Vice-President of the University of The Gambia, as well as members of the diplomatic corps, regional experts, academics, students and representatives of civil society.
Speakers unanimously hailed the visionary leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, whose impetus helped turn the AASP into an ambitious and structured framework serving South-South cooperation and the continent’s development.
In his address, the head of Gambian diplomacy stressed that the AASP seeks to turn the Atlantic Ocean into an economic and human bridge, offering The Gambia a historic opportunity for inclusive development.
For his part, Belhadj recalled that the AASP, pioneered in 2022 by HM King Mohammed VI, currently unites 23 coastal states representing over 350 million inhabitants and a maritime space spanning 13 million km2.
The conference sessions focused on three key areas: the strategic cooperation framework driven by the Royal Vision for Atlantic Africa, port infrastructure and maritime connectivity, and the African Atlantic Pipeline project.
It concluded with a call to strengthen partner commitment toward implementing Royal Initiatives, namely African Atlantic States Process, the Royal Initiative to facilitate Sahel countries' access to the Atlantic Ocean, and the African Atlantic Pipeline project, with participants viewing the meeting as a new milestone in building an integrated, prosperous, and unified African Atlantic space.
MAP:25 June 2026
