RABAT: Morocco has obtained the “unconditional support” of 42 members of the 54-strong African Union to rejoin the bloc at a summit which opens Monday, a senior Moroccan diplomat said.
AU member states are expected to mull Morocco’s bid to rejoin during a two-day summit in Addis Ababa, and elect a new chairperson.
Morocco quit the bloc 33 years ago to protest the AU’s decision to accept Western Sahara as a member, but it now wants back in and King Mohammed VI has been criss-crossing the continent lobbying for support.
“We’ve received the official backing of Ghana. This brings to 42 the number of countries that unconditionally support Morocco,” the diplomat told AFP Sunday from Addis Ababa.
Morocco’s return could be a financial boon for the bloc, which relies on foreign donors for some 70 percent of its budget, according to the Institute for Security Studies.
But heavyweights such as Algeria and South Africa have been lobbying hard to keep Morocco out.
Both countries back the fight for self-determination by Western Sahara’s Polisario independence movement.
Morocco maintains that the former Spanish colony, which it annexed in 1975, is an integral part of the kingdom.
United Nations resolutions have called for a referendum on self-determination in the disputed territory.
Morocco says more African states back bid to rejoin AU
Morocco says more African states back bid to rejoin AU
Italian PM pledges to deepen cooperation with African states
- The plan, launched in 2024, aims to promote investment-led cooperation rather than traditional aid
ADDIS ABABA: Italy pledged to deepen cooperation with African countries at its second Italy-Africa summit, the first held on African soil, to review projects launched in critical sectors such as energy and infrastructure during Italy’s first phase of the Mattei Plan for Africa.
The plan, launched in 2024, aims to promote investment-led cooperation rather than traditional aid.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed dozens of African heads of state and governments in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and reiterated that a successful partnership would depend on Italy’s “ability to draw from African wisdom” and ensure lessons are learned.
“We want to build things together,” she told African heads of state. “We want to be more consistent with the needs of the countries involved.”
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Italy had provided Africa with a gateway to Europe through these partnerships.
“This is a moment to move from dialogue to action,” he said.
“By combining Africa’s energetic and creative population with Europe’s experience, technology, and capital, we can build solutions that deliver prosperity to our continents and beyond.”
After the Italy-Africa summit concluded, African leaders remained in Addis Ababa for the annual African Union Summit.
Kenyan writer and political analyst Nanjala Nyabola said tangible results from such summits depend on preparations made by countries.
African governments often focus on “optics instead of actually making summits a meaningful engagement,” she said.
Instead of waiting for a list of demands, countries should “present the conclusions of an extended period of mapping the national needs” and engage in dialogue to determine how those needs can be met.
Since it was launched two years ago, the Mattei Plan has directly involved 14 African nations and has launched or advanced around 100 projects in crucial sectors, including energy and climate transition, agriculture and food security, physical and digital infrastructure, healthcare, water, culture and education, training, and the development of artificial intelligence, according to the Italian government.
