With a strong diplomatic weight and a technical background accumulated over decades of dam policies and proactive management, Morocco participated in the work of the thirty-ninth summit of leaders and heads of state and government of the African Union, at the end of the week, in the Ethiopian capital. This summit comes at a pivotal moment when the continent faces existential challenges related to water and food security, and in the wake of floods and torrents that submerged multiple regions of the vast continent.
Under the slogan “Ensuring the availability of water and safe sanitation systems in order to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063,” the summit places the continent in front of the mirror of reality, as “blue gold” is no longer just a natural resource, but has become an essential pillar of political stability, economic development, and public health.
In this context, Hespress analysts confirm their opinions that Morocco, not only as an active member, but also as a strategic partner, possesses the “keys” to innovative solutions in the sustainable management of water resources, based on its pioneering experience in the “dam policy”, all the way to seawater desalination projects and the “water highway”, as well as managing the crisis of stress and scarcity in the past years.
These analysts considered that “Morocco’s presence at this summit goes beyond protocol representation” to presenting an integrated vision linking water sovereignty and African food security, which questions the continent’s ability and the possibility of “replicating” the Moroccan experience to confront the specter of drought and climate change.
Morocco serves the continent
In a technical reading of the contents of Moroccan participation in the African Union Summit, Mohamed Baza, an international expert specializing in water resources, said that the Kingdom of Morocco has accumulated “long and profound experience” in the field of water resources engineering and management. He added in his statement to Hespress that this resource is not just a local national experience, but rather a model that can be shared and generalized with various African countries that suffer from similar challenges, which makes Morocco a technical and political reference in this field.
Baza, who served as a former senior official at the United Nations FAO for 20 years, highlighted that “Morocco’s ability to share its experiences with its African depth stems from historical accumulation in water policies, which is completely consistent with the slogan raised by the current summit.” According to the same international expert, Morocco possesses the technical and methodological tools that allow it to provide real added value in addressing the problems of access to water, an issue that tops the priorities of the 2063 African Development Agenda.
However, the author of Hespress placed this post in its precise context; While the water file remains the “strongest link” in the Moroccan expertise that the continent needs, he drew attention to the necessity of monitoring the delicate joints that are not limited to reviewing the gains, but rather directing them to serve the current discussions, whether it is related to water “as an independent element, or its close connection to other sectors such as industry and food security.”
Bazza concluded, “The bet today lies in how to transform this valuable Moroccan experience into concrete cooperation programs,” noting that Morocco, with its extensive technical background, is capable of playing the role of a “locomotive” on the African continent to ensure sustainable management of water resources, ensuring confrontation of the direct repercussions of climate change on public health and sustainable development throughout the continent.
The former UN expert did not fail to emphasize that the “Addis Ababa 2026 Summit” highlighted “the damage resulting from the devastating floods that swept the continent, and the need to address the effects of the climate change crisis,” noting that “it is not the first time that the Union has been concerned with the issue of water; He previously devoted half of an extraordinary summit held in Africa to water resources and food security in 2004.
“Water Diplomacy”
Lahcen Qartit, a professor of geopolitics and an analyst who follows African affairs, believes that the Kingdom of Morocco is today able to share its pioneering experience in the field of water strategy with its surroundings, a strategy that the Kingdom adopted under the direct supervision of King Mohammed VI. This trend comes “after many years during which Morocco was afflicted by drought, which prompted the state to adopt proactive policies to ensure the provision of water resources and rationalize their consumption.”
In a statement to Hespress, Qartit considered that Morocco’s move towards constructing seawater desalination plants, in addition to the “automatic waterways” project, represents a real revolution in the field of water management. These projects have begun to bear “positive and tangible results, in conjunction with the dam policy launched by the late King Hassan II, whose utmost importance is evident today, especially after the recent waves of rain that the Kingdom witnessed during the current winter season.”
The spokesman pointed out, “There is deep awareness and awareness, both in Rabat and among the international community, that climate changes are casting a heavy shadow on large areas of the world, especially the African continent. The continent faces real challenges represented by the decline of rains and successive years of drought, which directly threatens food security at the continental level.”
In this context, “Morocco is putting its accumulated experience in managing water issues before African countries within the African Union system,” says Qartit, stressing that African countries are required today to adopt similar strategies to ensure “water security” that is a basic foundation for achieving food security.
The expert in African affairs concluded by emphasizing that “the state’s decision to move forward towards building desalination plants and establishing waterways to transport surplus water from the north to the south is an irreversible strategic decision, and represents a promising model that African countries can be guided by to confront climate fluctuations and secure their future needs.”
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