HM King Mohammed VI Has Made Morocco A Leading Nation in Africa
"It is fitting to pay tribute to His Majesty King Mohammed VI and his leadership, which has enabled Morocco to achieve remarkable democratic progress and emerge as a leading country across Africa," he stated in an interview with MAP on the occasion of the celebration of the Throne Day.
Lord Bellingham highlighted the promising evolution of UK-Morocco relations, bolstered in particular by the close ties between His Majesty King Mohammed VI and His Majesty King Charles III.
"In terms of trade, many opportunities have opened up between the UK and Morocco. This is largely due to the path laid out by HM King Mohammed VI," he added, noting that the two Kingdoms share many common features, including privileged relations with the world's major economies.
Numerous sectors are open to strategic high-level partnership between the two nations, Lord Bellingham continued, underscoring the significance of the decision by Rabat and London to strengthen their bilateral ties.
He also emphasized the cultural dimension of UK-Morocco relations, which adds further depth to the historic bonds that date back over 800 years.
The former minister welcomed the recent decision by the United Kingdom to support the autonomy plan presented by Morocco to definitively resolve the regional conflict surrounding its territorial integrity.
Support for the autonomy plan "is both an important and decisive decision," said Lord Bellingham, who also served as Minister of State at the Foreign Office responsible for Asia-Pacific.
By viewing the autonomy plan as "the most credible, viable, and pragmatic basis" for resolving the Sahara issue, the UK is aligning itself with key allies that support Morocco's territorial integrity, including the United States, France, and Spain, he affirmed.
"It is equally important to recall that several African countries have opened consulates in the cities of Laâyoune and Dakhla," Lord Bellingham observed. In his opinion, the opponents of Morocco's territorial integrity must face the facts and recognize the geopolitical shift in favor of the recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over its Sahara.
Lord Bellingham, a member of the UK House of Lords, also praised the Atlantic Initiative launched by His Majesty the King, which aims to offer Sahel countries access to the Atlantic Ocean.
This initiative will undoubtedly contribute to peace and stability in the region while paving the way for economic development and improved livelihoods, he said.
Morocco launched the initiative, which, according to the British politician, is especially vital at a time when the world is witnessing alarming instability in the Sahel.
He added that if any country exemplifies a stable democracy with modern institutions and a highly respected Monarchy, it is Morocco.
"Morocco's efforts and initiatives for stability and economic development in the region further strengthen the Kingdom's credibility to lead change in the Sahel and across the region," Lord Bellingham concluded.
MAP: 22 July 2025
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Today's programs must embed vocational education, digital literacy, and apprenticeships to prepare youth for both traditional sectors and emerging industries. At the heart of this effort is a recognition that all forms of labor—physical, artistic, or intellectual—deserve respect. When people learn and earn simultaneously, they don't just gain livelihoods; they reclaim dignity and agency. WPA workers weren't merely laborers; they became craftspeople. Training was central. Today's programs must embed vocational education, digital literacy, and apprenticeships to prepare youth for both traditional sectors and emerging industries. At the heart of this effort is a recognition that all forms of labor—physical, artistic, or intellectual—deserve respect. When people learn and earn simultaneously, they don't just gain livelihoods; they reclaim dignity and agency. Gender-Inclusive Design: Any meaningful employment strategy must confront structural gender inequality. Public employment programs should provide childcare support, safe transport, and flexible scheduling to enable women's participation—especially in rural areas—while ensuring workplace safety and dignity for all. Any meaningful employment strategy must confront structural gender inequality. Public employment programs should provide childcare support, safe transport, and flexible scheduling to enable women's participation—especially in rural areas—while ensuring workplace safety and dignity for all. AI for Inclusive Development: Rather than view artificial intelligence solely as a threat, African nations can harness it as a developmental tool. An 'AI-powered WPA' could mobilize local talent to digitize government archives, build and train language models in African languages, modernize agriculture with precision tools, and expand access to education and healthcare through intelligent platforms. Designed with equity and sustainability in mind, such initiatives can create skilled jobs, enhance public services, and turn AI into a force for socioeconomic convergence—not further exclusion. Rather than view artificial intelligence solely as a threat, African nations can harness it as a developmental tool. An 'AI-powered WPA' could mobilize local talent to digitize government archives, build and train language models in African languages, modernize agriculture with precision tools, and expand access to education and healthcare through intelligent platforms. Designed with equity and sustainability in mind, such initiatives can create skilled jobs, enhance public services, and turn into a force for socioeconomic convergence—not further exclusion. Cultural and Intellectual Employment: Africa's artists, storytellers, musicians, and historians are vital to national memory and identity. A contemporary version of the WPA's 'Federal One' could fund oral history projects, local archives, cultural festivals, and public art initiatives—preserving heritage while creating creative livelihoods. Africa's artists, storytellers, musicians, and historians are vital to national memory and identity. A contemporary version of the WPA's 'Federal One' could fund oral history projects, local archives, cultural festivals, and public art initiatives—preserving heritage while creating creative livelihoods. Leverage Regional Strategies: Morocco's Royal Atlantic Initiative offers a powerful model for transnational public investment. By linking Morocco with West African nations through integrated infrastructure—ports, logistics corridors, digital networks, and renewable energy—the initiative lays the foundation for a regional employment and training ecosystem. Embedded within a WPA-style public works framework, this strategy could generate millions of jobs and foster a shared sense of agency and belonging across borders. Morocco's Royal Atlantic Initiative offers a powerful model for transnational public investment. By linking Morocco with West African nations through integrated infrastructure—ports, logistics corridors, digital networks, and renewable energy—the initiative lays the foundation for a regional employment and training ecosystem. Embedded within a WPA-style public works framework, this strategy could generate millions of jobs and foster a shared sense of agency and belonging across borders. Multi-Level Partnerships and Continental Vision: Just as the WPA worked with state and local governments, African states must collaborate with private investors, development banks, and regional bodies such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). These partnerships can scale public employment programs while aligning them with broader continental priorities. The Timberline Lodge stands today not just as a beautiful ski resort on Mount Hood, but as a living testament to what happens when governments bet on their people. Surrounded by hiking trails carved through alpine forests—trails that themselves were part of WPA-era efforts to open public lands—the lodge remains a symbol of inclusive infrastructure and civic imagination. In Morocco, in Uganda, in Kenya, in Senegal, in Egypt—in every nation grappling with the pressures of joblessness and social tensions—there is room for WPA-style thinking. Not because we wish to relive the 1930s, but because we have inherited its wisdom. We need an African WPA for the 21st century. Not just to build bridges and lodges, but to bridge the gaps between generations, between despair and hope, between stagnation and shared prosperity. The stakes are too high to settle for less. Roosevelt's echoes still call to us—will we listen? In 1943, standing in Casablanca, President Roosevelt declared a bold wartime declaration: 'unconditional surrender' to the forces of fascism. Today, we confront a different but no less urgent struggle—not against armies, but against climate collapse, deepening poverty, mass unemployment, exclusion, and the widening divide wrought by artificial intelligence. These are not battles waged with weapons, but with vision, policy, and moral resolve. They demand the same clarity of purpose Roosevelt summoned during wartime—and the same enduring faith he placed in public action through the Works Progress Administration. The WPA was more than a jobs program; it embodied a foundational belief that government could be a generative force for dignity, equity, and renewal. It recognized that meaningful work—rooted in communities and broadly shared—could do more than alleviate economic despair; it could restore hope, rebuild trust, and help nations imagine a future worth striving for. Let us meet this moment in that same spirit—not with retreat, but with imagination, investment, and collective courage. Let 'unconditional surrender' become more than a relic of military history—let it be reclaimed as a developmental credo for an Africa that believes in itself and dares to build a just, inclusive, and sustainable future. Tags: AfricaAIartificial intelligenceclimate change
