AFRICAN CONFERENCE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT

1st Edition on:

"Atlantic Africa, South-South Partnership and Morocco’s Global Positioning"

The Atlantic space holds undeniable influence over global geostrategic balances. New economic challenges as energy, and security constantly emerge, complicating traditional international relations to the point of rendering them unmanageable. In this context of growing uncertainty and instability, the debate is being renewed around the need for a coordinated and inclusive approach. Thus, Atlantic Africa, at the heart of emerging geopolitical and economic dynamics, finds itself at a crossroads, calling for strengthened cooperation strategies, particularly within the framework of South-South partnerships. This cannot be achieved without a vision of co-development and shared sovereignty, allowing the countries concerned to better capitalize on their resources, strengthen their resilience to external shocks, and have greater weight in international trade.

Furthermore, partnership dynamics are being reinvented to meet the challenges of this shifting context. Agreements between nations of the Global South, involving both emerging economies and developing countries, are now positioning themselves as competitors to traditional partnerships between developed and developing nations. New alliances are emerging to build a strong and cooperative future for Atlantic Africa. In this dynamic, the signing of the ZLECAF agreement and its progressive implementation from January 2021 mark a major step towards the creation of a free trade area and a single African market for goods and services. This milestone is part of an integration process that began with the involvement of Moroccan public enterprises in implementing basic infrastructure development projects, as well as the participation of private companies in financial, mining, and telecommunications sectors.

In this context of strengthened integration, Morocco, through its strategic position and commitment to the continent's development, plays a structuring role in redefining regional and international interactions. It is in this spirit that Morocco's Atlantic Africa initiative was recently launched, aiming to seize new prospects for economic development and regional stability. This initiative fits into a broader vision of fostering closer ties between Morocco, Sahel countries, and all Atlantic nations. It thus constitutes a strategic lever to deepen regional integration and strengthen Africa’s position within global economic and political dynamics.

This conference aims to bring together researchers, policymakers, economic actors, and experts to examine the challenges and prospects of the Atlantic Africa initiative and explore new horizons for South-South partnerships. The objective is to analyze the new dynamics of cooperation, assess the economic and geopolitical opportunities offered by this strategic space, and identify the levers that can strengthen regional integration. By highlighting the economic, diplomatic, and environmental dimensions of this cooperation, the conference seeks to foster constructive dialogue and propose innovative solutions to reinforce Morocco’s role as a key player in the development of a prosperous and competitive African Atlantic space on the international stage.