New york: Launched by the Sovereign to bring together the 23 African Atlantic coastal states, united by geography and bound by a common destiny, the African Atlantic States Process (AASP) is today ‘a living and dynamic reality that is already bearing its first fruits,’ said Bourita, who chaired the 6th ministerial meeting of this process, held on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, the Atlantic African space is endowed with 46 major ports connected to global trade routes and more than 350 million inhabitants, in addition to a combined exclusive economic zone exceeding 13 million km², noted the minister. Moreover, this space contains more than 30% of Africa’s known offshore gas reserves and over 40% of the continent’s fishery resources, he said, adding that this ‘coastline’ is a geostrategic and economic ‘backbone’ of the continent.

In this context, Bourita welcomed the ‘concrete progress’ made since the Praia meeting in May 2025, particularly the discussions on establishing coordination mechanisms necessary for the coherence of collective action. He also noted the enrichment of the Action Plan on the blue economy with an aquaculture component and the strengthening of the connectivity dimension through the organization by Morocco, in 2026, of the International Ports Exhibition.

The Atlantic African space, argued Bourita, can be a ‘strategic lever,’ as it is positioned, at the geo-economic level, ‘at the heart of trade routes’ between Africa, Europe, and the Americas, at a time when more than 90% of African trade transits by sea. The minister also stressed the need to open up to other actors of the Atlantic basin to defend the African vision of a stable, secure, and prosperous Atlantic.

Highlighting the importance of the AASP on the geostrategic level, Bourita noted that security is emerging as a central issue, at a time when nearly 60% of piracy incidents recorded in Africa in 2024 occurred in the Gulf of Guinea, and more than 50% of drug trafficking to Europe transits through the Atlantic African space.

At this meeting, the ministers of the AASP member states unanimously underlined the importance of this Royal Initiative, which is a bearer of development, opportunities, and prosperity for the populations of all the Member States and beyond. This 6th meeting follows the ‘Africa for the Ocean’ Summit, held at the Initiative of His Majesty King Mohammed VI last June in Nice, on the occasion of the 3rd United Nations Conference on the Ocean (ONUC-3).

It marks an important milestone in consolidating this Royal Initiative, which aims to strengthen cooperation and integration ties among the African Atlantic coastal States.