Pan-Africanism Extends to New Generation of African Leaders

The pan-Africanism that animated the Casablanca group in the early 1960s is now finding its continuity in the new generation of African leaders, said Wednesday the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad, Nasser Bourita.

Emphasizing the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Casablanca Conference during the work by videoconference technology of the 38th ordinary session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU), the Minister recalled that on February 4, 1961, the late HM King Mohammed V convened an international conference in Casablanca with the aim of adopting the Casablanca Charter and promoting continental unity.

He stressed that the ambition was to create an integrated Africa on all levels, including the political and economic levels.

He further added that through Morocco’s ambition the commemoration of the Casablanca Conference “will allow us to give a timeless character to the spirit” and to the aspirations of this conference, in favor of a welded, solidary, and united Africa.

Reviewing the challenges that remain to be met, in particular at the level of economic and social recovery, Bourita observed that the African Union must develop a vision and interact with its partners so that Africa can prepare for the post-Covid context.

The year 2020 has been a “very difficult” year under the effect of the Covid 19 pandemic, but thanks to the commitment of the AU Commission, significant progress has been made, said the minister, citing in particular the entry into force of the Continental Free Trade Agreement, the important institutional reforms that have been undertaken and the progress made in establishing peace and security in the continent.

There are also challenges in strengthening professionalism, ethics and expertise within the committee away from activism and unprofessionalism, he concluded.