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The Atlantic partnership: African perspectives on the way forward
May 24, 2024 @ 12:00 pm
On May 24, Youssef Amrani, the Moroccan ambassador to the United States, and Jessye Lapenn, the US State Department’s senior coordinator for Atlantic Cooperation joined the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center for a special fireside chat moderated by Senior Director Rama Yade. The discussion focused on the new US Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation launched in September 2023 and the new Moroccan royal initiative announced two months later, in November 2023, that gives four landlocked Sahelian countries (Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad) access to the ocean.
Yade opened the discussion by recognizing Africa Day and highlighting the importance of the “maritime border” between Africa and the United States. She noted that 39 countries, including 20 in Africa, have joined the US Atlantic partnership since its launch.
Lapenn emphasized that the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation is important now because “the problems that we face collectively are too significant, too complex, and too multifaceted for any one country” to tackle alone. Lapenn emphasized that “the door stays open” to Atlantic countries who have not yet joined the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, including South Africa and France.
The Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation focuses on initiatives around science and technology, environmental and marine protection, and building a sustainable blue economy. Currently, the partnership is not taking on security challenges. Lapenn explained that this decision is a collective one made by member states based on what they believe are issues that “benefit from a pan-Atlantic framework.”
Amrani said that both initiatives mentioned in the discussion are important for “building bridges” in a difficult and fragmented world. He added that the Moroccan initiative, announced by King Mohammed VI late on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the Green March, emphasizes the importance of cooperation, and countries must leverage the Atlantic for “strategic diplomacy.”
Amrani said that “cooperation, connectivity and consistency” inspired Morocco to connect countries not only through the African corridor and to the Atlantic, “but also to [their] partners in Europe.”
Lapenn pointed to the African Union’s vision for African integration, and said it should extend that integration to Europe, North America, and Latin America. Similarly, Amrani emphasized that in Africa, “the real change must come from within” and emphasized the importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is a crucial issue for us,” emphasized Amrani. He continued, highlighting that “drug trafficking, illegal migration and terrorism are all linked.”
“NATO is a military and security operation,” Amrani said. “However, some issues need other approaches.”
A “more prosperous future depends on greater coordination with countries that share common opportunities and challenges,” argued Atlantic Council Vice President and Senior Director of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center Jason Marczak in closing.
Sibi Nyaoga is a program assistant with the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center
EVENT DESCRIPTION
For Africa Day 2024, the Africa Center places a spotlight on the enduring strategic partnership that the US and African nations share across the Atlantic.
Having been launched in September 2023, the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation now counts thirty-nine states. These states are focused on regional cooperation, fostering connections, and establishing common approaches to a host of topics including sustainable ocean-based economies, and climate and environmental challenges.
Nearly half of this partnership’s members are African.
According to the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS), the importance of the Atlantic cannot be understated for Africa with its twenty-three coastal nations home to 46 percent of the continent’s population, 55 percent of its GDP, and 57 percent of its trade.
With such importance placed on the Atlantic region, the time is ripe for a conversation to discuss this next chapter of US and African relations and engagement across the Atlantic.
Each year for Africa Day, the Africa Center organizes high-level programming to highlight new developments and initiatives that enhance the US-Africa relationship. Past events have included Africa’s geopolitical role in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a series on Democratic and Republican policy priorities toward the continent.
This year, the Africa Center will highlight the role of the new Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation in strengthening old ties and shared values.
Join us in-person or virtually on Friday, May 24 at 9:30 a.m. ET.
