Morocco is betting big on a bold vision: opening the Atlantic to the Sahel. King Mohammed VI’s “Atlantic Initiative,” announced in late 2023, aims to give Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger direct access to the ocean through a massive new $1.3 billion port near El Argoub, in the disputed territory of Western Sahara. If successful, the plan could reshape regional trade and geopolitics.
The project is more than infrastructure. It’s a power move. Morocco, which controls most of Western Sahara, is using the initiative to tighten its grip on the territory—backed by the 2020 recognition of its sovereignty by President Donald Trump—and to position itself as the go-to partner for Sahel states that have fallen out with France and ECOWAS.
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“Morocco was one of the first countries where we found understanding,” Niger’s Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare said in April, praising Rabat’s outreach after coups triggered international sanctions.
The appeal is clear: The Sahel’s new military rulers want alternatives to ports in West African states that now view them with suspicion. Morocco’s pitch? A direct route to the Atlantic that bypasses political headaches.
But this isn’t a done deal. Thousands of kilometers of road and rail must still be built through tough, insecure terrain. Armed groups aren’t going anywhere, and the Polisario Front has already targeted parts of the planned route. “There are still many steps to take,” warned Seidik Abba of CIRES.
Still, Morocco is playing a long game—one that could redraw the map of regional influence.