From April 24 to 26, 2025, Casablanca will host a special session of the Crans Montana Forum focused on African international trade, maritime safety, and the security of ports and navigable routes. This high-level gathering will bring together government officials, industry leaders, and key players in Africa’s maritime and logistics sectors.
This session is part of a broader initiative aligned with the Royal Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, emphasizing Morocco’s commitment to South-South cooperation, regional integration, and the opening of landlocked countries such as those in the Sahel. Key themes will include the Atlantic opening, maritime security challenges, and infrastructure development.
The forum will open on Friday, April 25 with a session addressing the major threats facing global maritime activity. Disruptions in the Suez and Panama canals, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, geopolitical conflicts, and cyber threats serve as stark reminders of the vulnerability of maritime trade, upon which 90 percent of African economies rely.
A series of focused panels will examine urgent issues such as enhancing human and technical capacities to protect African coastlines, modernizing port infrastructure through digitalization, securing maritime documents against fraud and cyberattacks, and strengthening operational logistics.
Health sovereignty will also be addressed, highlighting lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and calling for stronger international and regional cooperation in public health preparedness and response.
The forum will dedicate a special session to the promotion of women in the maritime sector, emphasizing the importance of gender inclusion in all areas of Africa’s economic development.
A key highlight will be the strategic role of the new Atlantic port of Dakhla, presented as a transformative project for West Africa. This infrastructure is expected to boost intra-African trade and position Morocco as a gateway between Africa and Atlantic Europe, while improving access to American markets. The African Atlantic States Process will be explored as a platform for regional and geopolitical cooperation.
The event will conclude with a visit to Casablanca’s “Smart Port”, showcasing Morocco’s progress in digitalizing port procedures and improving operational efficiency through the PortNet platform, a national single window for foreign trade that integrates all key stakeholders in a secure digital ecosystem.
