Visiting African Journalists Praise Morocco For Making Giant Strides

African media on official invitation to Morocco are delighted in having ocular experience of the country they describe as very disciplined and very focused. The Kenyans who empanelled themselves for a discussion on a KBC outlet, noted that Kenya has a lot to learn from Morocco whose advancements they credited to a given collectivIsm under the guidance of the patriotic leadership of the Sovereign of the Kingdom.

Within the spirit of Pan-Africanism, the pressmen and women from selected countries who embarked on the tour to see the state of Morocco, particularly its preparedness to host sporting events, including the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations were struck by wintry conditions, one of climate variations within the country. A first impression that created a dilemma as to whether Morocco was not Europe in Africa. However, earthy environment which characterizes most parts of the Arab world is the other identity of Morocco.

The world club soccer championship already in the bag, it is only icing on the cake for Morocco which is known for several capabilities. Be that as it may, all junctions on the way ahead also need to be advertised to reveal the full range of the sterling credentials. The country hosted the AFCON (African Cup of Nations) in 1988 and won it. In 1994, Morocco was one of the applicants to host the soccer world cup. Fast forwarding across other vital records to 2022 when it hosted the CAF awards, it is obvious it is as solid as the rock.

The steady rise of Morocco in sports is not accidental. It is calculated and strategic. It is an all out effort to reassert Moroccan football which was on the decline for about decade spanning 2000-2010. Then King Mohammed VI called for the establishment of sports academies throughout the country for rejuvenation. The investment has paid off because it did not only reverse dwindling fortunes but earned a historic feat as the first African side into World Cup Semis. This was etched in Qatar 2022.

TheIr focal point being sports, the visiting journalists described sports infrastructure in Morocco as state of the art, and impressive, more so when the stadia were constructed by Moroccan architects. Among cities visited are Tangier, Agadir, Fès, Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech.

Internal transportation made on modern trains, on a continent which many parts are still stuck in the basics, this left deep impression on the media team and they began to wonder how Morocco had achieved so much with resources not comparable to the natural endowments of sub-saharan Africa. The Kenyans reckon Morocco is on a firm footing towards the great glittering goal of becoming what it calls “the Dubai of Africa”, given the strides made in development, proclaimed and inspired by its Monarch King Mohammed VI.

In particular, Morocco harnesses and taps into its own knowledge-base and the seriousness at this approach is the additional title given to the Foreign ministry to reflect the interest in citizens in the diaspora. It is at the core of the mobilisation process that engulfs and engagés all specific segments of Moroccan society to contribute in building their own country.

The terrific story of Morocco is capped by 12 million annual tourist visitations, and this compared with Kenya’s 2 million, the journalists from Kenya kept scratching their heads wondering why their country is lagging far behind the north country which is a pure desert as against Kenya where visitors have even more than necessary to savour. They reckon that Morocco could be doing something differently from all the others, embodied in its strong aversion to corruption.

Most significantly, the Kenyans vouched for the full integration with the Kingdom, the Sahara to the south of Morocco, much the same way Ethiopia is at it to getting the renegade province of Tigray back to its fold. The rationale for such a geopolitical move is for greater nationhood for which the continent is bound to benefit immensely.

Morocco is a chief producer and exporter of phosphate-based fertilizers, identified as centre piece of its phenomenal growth in agriculture leading to food sufficiency. The visitors reckoned the abundance of food which was handed to them for sampling, was not a choreography but the reality of Morocco.