I find proof of this regularly in this old Kingdom of Morocco, which I have traveled for several decades, carefully observing the multiple axes of development that it is leading with wisdom and determination. Among these, the launch of the port of Dakhla Atlantique has symbolic value.
The world was astonished by this royal decision. But it did not surprise me in any way because I see it in the dynamic that began in 1912, with the decision to build the port of Casablanca, where there was only a town of a few thousand inhabitants. .
In around ten years, this port has become the economic heart and business lung of the country. Then it was Tanger Med, engaged in 2007. Less than twenty years later, the port is ranked 19th in the world for container traffic. The Kingdom entered the top 20, alongside China, Singapore, Korea, the United States, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam . It is the only African country to belong to this restricted club. Along came the roads, which, from Tangier to Guerguerat, gave Morocco the function of a public international transport service from the North of Europe to the South of Africa. This is what it is all about, because it is the only earthly way. There is in fact nothing further to the East, from Algeria to Egypt. These are roads of superior quality, which have required heavy investments. At the same time, came the high-speed train from Tangier to Marrakech.
So many action plans which contribute to the overall transformation of the territory which is taking shape before us today.
It is in this multidimensional perspective that we must consider this Atlantic port project of Dakhla which His Majesty Mohammed VI has just launched.
Its central position immediately underlines that it does not tend to satisfy only local interests. The Dakhla region will undoubtedly derive many very advantageous benefits, because it will very quickly become a major center of multiple activities, but the dynamic will necessarily be of an international order. Geophysical epicenter of a maritime system corresponding to a third of our planet, Dakhla will radiate as far as the North Pole, the South Pole and the American continent. This is what lies ahead of us for the near years to come.
This pure product of an Act of sovereignty has numerous political assets to succeed in this adventure beyond the walls. Its fundamentals are solid. Morocco continues to extend its political influence, not only on the African continent but throughout the world, due to the stability of its democratic institutions, its rule of law which inspires confidence in foreign investors and its capacity to establish a peaceful and respectful “living together” between peoples. Its economy is enhanced by a good public-private balance guaranteeing safety and dynamism.
Finally, social reforms and the latest one underway on the generalization of health insurance, have for a quarter of a century shaped the country around a middle class concerned with stability and social peace.
This action program must, however, be structured around 3 types of concrete objectives: engage African, European and American states to become responsible partners; identify specific areas of development in the 3 primary, secondary and tertiary sectors based on public-private cooperation; create dedicated institutions in Dakhla to provide assistance and advice as needed.
On this last point, a research and development system thought of in continuous rather than one-off terms, with a mission of sustainable innovation, would promote the permanence of analysis, evaluation and control of risks, which are the conditions for ‘systemic managerial conduct on permanent alert.
The creation of multidisciplinary 3rd cycle courses, coordinated around this goal, could then constitute a determining factor for the success of the whole.
Hubert SEILLAN
President of the France-Morocco Foundation,
Peace and Sustainable Development,
Lawyer at the Paris Bar
