HM King Mohammed VI’s Leadership Turns African Emergence into ‘Concrete Goal’ – Ambassador –

The leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI has made African emergence not a mere prospect, but a concrete goal, declined by the triptych of a global strategy, an inclusive vision and a responsible approach, writes Morocco’s Ambassador to South Africa Youssef Amrani in an op-ed published on Wednesday by South African daily The Star, on the occasion of the World Africa Day. “Morocco believed strongly, since the very beginning in an ambitious pan African Project”, Amrani said, noting that His Majesty late King Mohammed V, and His Majesty late Hassan II have spared no effort to initiate, strengthen and elevate this “African Unity from a dream to a reality.” He noted that since then, Morocco has never shifted from this priority staying headstrong in its belief in Africa and African unity thanks to the leadership of King Mohammed VI. The Moroccan diplomat also stressed that “today Africans are celebrating across the continent their affiliation to one and the same broad African family, a family, of over a billion people sharing beyond geography, same visions, hope and destinies”. “For all us Africans, this day holds a very particular meaning that reflects on a longstanding and deep-rooted belief in African Unity. A belief that the founding fathers of our continental organization fought for courageously decades ago with an unmatched spirit of fraternity, liberty, and solidarity”, he said. Despite the progress made, Amrani stressed that Africa still have a long way to go, noting that complex security and economic challenges are gaining territory and pose a serious threat to the stability of our Continent. “They are more and more interrelated, fast-evolving and are hampering our capacities for development, peace and security”, he underlined. For him, Africa needs to operate a shift in its global efforts towards achieving a fair and just, socio-economic development, noting that “our joint actions must focus continually on social justice, democracy, human development and the provisions of jobs and work opportunities for our youth.” “Only then, will we be able to reach a level of stability and put together the conditions for a more prosperous and audacious continent”, he highlighted. In this regard, the ambassador believes that Africa requires more than ever peace and growth to sustain the Continent’s path towards progress. “This requires us African to willingly and unconditionally chose unity over division, and dialogue over political misconduct or manipulation. The Time of failed ideologies has come to an end”, he explained adding that the people of Africa need relevant leadership that put the human dimension at the heart of any national or continental policies. He also underlined that Africa needs to change its software in order to promote successful policies based on good governance and innovation. “We need to protect the most vulnerable of us and always provide our people with trustworthy, relevant and lasting solutions. It is this very same ambition that foreshadows AU flagships projects as for example the African free trade agreement”, he said. The Moroccan diplomat assured that the Kingdom of Morocco will continue to place this fundamental ambition at the heart of its priorities.