Marrakech: The vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI for the development of Africa is founded on solidarity and sharing, affirmed on Wednesday in Marrakech the President of the Atlantic Federation of African Press Agencies (FAAPA) and Director General of the Maghreb Arab Press Agency (MAP), Fouad Arif.
According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, “This Vision, which calls for reducing disparities and bringing opportunities closer to citizens, transcends borders: it outlines an African approach to development based on solidarity and sharing,” Arif noted at the opening of the proceedings of the 9th FAAPA General Assembly, held under the theme “Territorial Inclusion and Spatial Justice: African Press Agencies at the Heart of the Continent’s Transformations.”
Indeed, he said, this approach resonates naturally at the continental level, at a time when Africa is called upon to pool its major development flows in order to prevent the continent from progressing at differing speeds, leaving certain landlocked, peripheral or fragile territories behind.
The Royal Vision stems from the obvious fact that Africa will build itself through solidarity, cooperation, and sharing successful trajectories, prioritizing co-development for the benefit of the entire continent, Arif stressed.
Within this continental endeavor, he emphasized, African media bear a major strategic responsibility, noting that press agencies are not merely relays of information but are positioning themselves as genuine actors in structuring Africa’s public space.
According to Arif, press agencies have the capacity to make remote or marginalized territories visible, to relay citizens’ voices, and to support social ownership of public policies and major structuring projects, while also contributing to an African development narrative founded on inclusion, cohesion and trust.
Through their editorial coverage, treatment choices and cooperation, African press agencies directly contribute to reducing territorial disparities, stabilizing societies, and strengthening the link between institutions and citizens, he said.
He also highlighted the importance of this General Assembly’s program, notably marked by the holding of a keynote address devoted to a fundamental issue of inclusive development, namely health sovereignty as a foundation of spatial justice. This stems from the importance of health as a structuring lever for territorial cohesion and social stability.
Equitable access to healthcare, the training of medical skills, and the resilience of health systems directly determine the ability of territories to develop in a harmonious manner, he stressed.
In this regard, Arif underlined that the action of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Sciences and Health, and in particular the African Academy of Health Sciences, provides a concrete illustration of this vision of an Africa that strengthens its capacities through the sharing of knowledge, expertise and training in the service of truly inclusive development.
The proceedings of this Assembly will also feature a panel devoted to the “role of the media in building an inclusive Africa,” fully embodying the spirit of this meeting by bringing together perspectives from the media, public institutions, research bodies and development stakeholders to reflect collectively on how information can become a tool for continental cohesion, territorial justice and sustainable stability, he noted.
Through this 9th General Assembly, FAAPA reaffirms its ambition to be an African space for reflection, cooperation and foresight, in the service of a more united, more solidary and more prosperous continent.