Speaking at the 15th Conference of African Ambassadors in Paris, Sitail highlighted Morocco’s ambition to expand its rail network, particularly with the planned extension of the high-speed train line to Marrakech, while emphasizing the success of the Tangier-Casablanca high-speed rail line, inaugurated in 2018.
“We build bridges when we construct railways, when we enhance connectivity across our continent,” said the diplomat, emphasizing that rail infrastructure plays “a strategic role” in Africa, while facilitating trade, strengthens urban and interurban mobility, accelerates regional integration, and brings the African Continental Free Trade Area to fruition.
According to Sitail, “the impact goes far beyond transportation connectivity itself, it stimulates economic development, generates thousands of direct and indirect jobs, contributes to the integration of remote regions, and reduces both costs and environmental impacts.”
“These infrastructures, when in place, attract foreign investment in key sectors and strengthen Africa’s integration into global dynamics,” continued Sitail during the conference held at The Superior Council of Notaries.
She further noted that Morocco, owing to its geographical position, history, and commitments, aims to play “a key role” by fostering a South-South cooperation vision unique to the African continent, since HM King Mohammed VI’s accession to the Throne, this vision has been based on solidarity, co-development, and Afro-optimism.
During the conference, moderated by Alfred Mignot, director and founder of Africa Presse Paris and the event’s creator, the ambassadors of Egypt, Mauritania, and Angola also highlighted the challenges and opportunities of rail networks in Africa, “a vast and rapidly evolving continent.”
These infrastructures, described as “a true driver of connectivity,” are seen as pivotal for boosting the movement of people and goods between cities and countries, while serving as an engine for the economic development of the African continent.
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