Since its return to the African Union, Morocco has multiplied grandiose announcements meant to illustrate a renewed pan‑African ambition. Yet these projects, often presented as engines of South‑South integration, struggle to move beyond the realm of communication and end up resembling one another in their lack of concrete implementation.
In this context, President Tebboune’s announcement of the effective start of construction works on the Algeria–Niger–Nigeria gas pipeline, on Nigerien territory, marks a major turning point and significantly reduces the scope of the competing project promoted by Rabat. General Tiani’s visit to Algiers was also an opportunity to unveil the future dry port of Agadez, which will be connected to Tamanrasset— itself linked by rail to Algerian ports.
In a single diplomatic sequence, two narratives long put forward by Rabat have been relativized, revealing that some of these projects were driven more by political objectives than by a genuine strategy for continental development. Conversely, Algeria asserts itself through the methodical completion of tangible projects, strengthening its credibility with African partners.
A Diplomacy of Permanent Announcements
1. The promise to build South Sudan’s capital
Among the most surprising announcements is Morocco’s proposal to participate in constructing a new capital for South Sudan. Presented as a gesture of pan‑African solidarity, the initiative has remained purely declarative. No major structural progress has confirmed the scale of the promised commitment.
2. The Nigeria–Morocco gas pipeline: a geopolitical project before an energy one
The gas pipeline project linking Nigeria to Morocco along the entire West African Atlantic coast has been presented as a structuring project for regional integration. However, its astronomical cost, technical complexity, and exposure to security risks have always raised serious doubts about its feasibility.
By contrast, the competing Trans‑Saharan gas pipeline project led by Algeria—connecting Algeria, Niger, and Nigeria—appears more direct, shorter, and backed by existing infrastructure.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s recent announcement of the commencement of works on the Algeria–Niger–Nigeria pipeline on Nigerien territory marks a strategic turning point. This shift to an operational phase significantly weakens the credibility of the Nigeria–Morocco project, which remains largely theoretical.
3. The Atlantic corridor for the Sahel
Another highly publicized initiative is the creation of a logistical corridor providing Sahel countries with access to the Atlantic Ocean through Moroccan territory. Once again, the narrative is attractive. But it rests on a central geopolitical assumption: the de facto integration of Western Sahara into Moroccan territory, an implicit prerequisite for the project’s territorial viability.
This reveals the strategic dimension behind the initiative: beneath the argument of African development lies an attempt to anchor the Western Sahara issue irreversibly within an integrated economic framework.
In Algiers, President Tiani announced the construction of a dry port in Agadez, in northern Niger, which is set to become a major logistical hub. This port will be connected to Algeria, which is already implementing a large‑scale project aimed at linking its Saharan metropolis, Tamanrasset, to its coastal ports. President Tebboune also confirmed that the railway will reach Tamanrasset by the end of 2027. Quietly yet effectively, Algeria is thus offering Niger a reliable connection between the Agadez dry port and its Mediterranean port infrastructure.
4. The Morocco–UK electric cable
The submarine cable project intended to supply the United Kingdom with electricity sourced from Morocco is among the most widely publicized announcements. Yet several paradoxes emerge:
- Morocco is not energy self‑sufficient.
- It imports more than 20% of its electricity from Spain.
- Its energy dependence is structural.
The idea of massively exporting electricity to Europe while the national energy balance remains fragile fuels skepticism among observers.
Algerian Momentum: From Discourse to Execution
By contrast, General Abdourahamane Tiani’s visit to Algeria led to announcements directly tied to concrete, actionable projects.
The president of Niger notably mentioned the creation of a dry port in Agadez, to be connected to Tamanrasset, which itself will be linked by rail to Algeria’s Mediterranean ports. This logistical architecture fits within a coherent trans‑Saharan vision based on infrastructure already under construction or in operation.
In a single visit, two Moroccan narratives were undermined:
- The Nigeria–Morocco gas pipeline, now challenged by a shorter and actively progressing alternative.
- The Atlantic corridor, replaced by a concrete Saharan alternative linking the Sahel to Algerian ports.
Rhetorical Pan‑Africanism vs. Structural Cooperation
Since its return to the African Union, Morocco’s strategy has largely relied on image‑driven economic diplomacy: forums, conventions, memoranda of understanding, and announcements with strong symbolic impact.
Algeria, on the other hand, favors projects with real territorial grounding: trans‑Saharan roads, energy interconnections, logistical infrastructures, and security partnerships.
The issue goes beyond mere bilateral rivalry. It reflects two differing visions of African integration:
- One driven by high‑profile announcements and indirect geopolitical objectives;
- The other built on geographic continuity, energy complementarity, and the progressive realization of major infrastructure.
Credibility and Continental Leadership
A state’s credibility on the African stage is not measured by the number of press releases it issues, but by its ability to transform promises into operational infrastructure.
While Rabat has sought to position itself as Africa’s gateway to Europe, Algiers is consolidating its role as a trans‑Saharan energy and logistics hub.
In this context, the dynamic launched by Algeria with Niger and Nigeria is reshaping regional balances. It underscores that, in continental development, strategic consistency and technical execution weigh far more than political communication.
Africa does not need showcase projects; it needs real, financed, built, and operational infrastructure. This is now the terrain on which the battle for credibility is being fought.
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