Think Forward.

La politique marocaine en Afrique : une dynamique engagée et fédératrice... 1165

Aziz Daouda, 3 mon.
Le Maroc, sous le règne de Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI, mène une politique africaine volontariste et inclusive, visant à renforcer ses liens économiques, politiques, sociaux et culturels avec le continent. Cette stratégie privilégie un bilatéralisme pragmatique, favorisant l’intégration économique africaine, la coopération sud-sud et des partenariats stratégiques. Des accords ont été signés avec plus de 40 pays africains. Le retour du Royaume à l’Union africaine en 2017 a quant à lui marqué un tournant majeur dans cette stratégie et devenu un véritable accélérateur. Le Maroc s’intéresse aussi à la Zone de libre-échange continentale africaine (ZLECAf) comme relais de croissance. Parmi les projets clés dans cette perspective, le gazoduc Nigeria-Maroc, long de 5 600 km. Il reliera l’Afrique de l’Ouest à celle du Nord, et transportera quelques 30 milliards de m³ de gaz naturel par an. Il améliorera l’accès à l’énergie pour pas moins de 400 millions de personnes dans 13 pays. Il s’inscrit dans la stratégie marocaine de transition énergétique. Estimé à plus de 25 milliards de dollars, ce projet apporte des retombées majeures pour la sécurité énergétique et le développement régional dans la complémentarité. Le Maroc s’engage aussi fortement dans l’éducation et la formation des compétences, offrant chaque année près de 15 000 bourses à des étudiants de 49 pays. Environ 20 000 étudiants africains sont accueillis annuellement, dans des domaines tels que ingénierie, médecine, finance ou sciences sociales, grâce à l’Agence Marocaine de Coopération Internationale (AMCI). Ce programme ambitieux se veut former une nouvelle génération de cadres et renforce les échanges scientifiques et culturels. L’économie marocaine est pour sa part bien implantée en Afrique avec plus de 1 000 entreprises actives dans les secteurs bancaire, immobilier, télécom, agriculture et infrastructures. Attijariwafa Bank et BMCE Bank of Africa ou encore le Groupe Banque Populaire, sont présents dans plus de 26 pays, générant des centaines de millions de dirhams en Afrique subsaharienne. Ces institutions, avec 45 filiales et 4 succursales, réalisent environ 23% de leur chiffre d’affaires sur le continent, facilitant le financement des projets et l’intégration financière régionale. Wafa Assurance et le groupe Saham renforcent également cette présence dans de nombreux pays. Le système de santé marocain, reconnu pour ses infrastructures modernes et son personnel compétent, attire chaque année des milliers d’Africains pour des soins divers, renforçant les liens humains. Le Maroc développe aussi des projets dans l’agriculture durable, les énergies renouvelables, la formation professionnelle et les infrastructures, soutenus par la Fondation Mohammed VI pour le Développement Durable. Plus de 60 % des IDE marocains sont dirigés vers l’Afrique. Les échanges commerciaux du Maroc avec l’Afrique restent encore modestes par rapport à ses échanges totaux : environ 7 à 8 % du commerce extérieur marocain. La marge de progression est très grande et prometteuse. Ces échanges ont fortement progressé. En 2023, le volume total des échanges commerciaux entre le Maroc et les pays africains s’est élevé à 52,7 milliards de dirhams. Cela représente une croissance de 45 % par rapport à 2013, où ce volume était de 36 milliards de dirhams avec une croissance annuelle moyenne d’environ 10%. Maroc Telecom, présent dans 10 pays, dessert environ 54 millions de clients et contribue à l’intégration numérique. Des groupes comme Ynna Holding, Alliances ou Addoha mènent des projets majeurs dans plusieurs pays, notamment la construction de logements et de centres hospitaliers. En agriculture, OCP Africa opère dans 18 pays, formant plus d’1,5 million d’agriculteurs et fournissant des engrais adaptés aux terres et types d'agricultures locales. Son programme Agribooster facilite l’accès aux intrants, financements et marchés, stimulant la productivité et la sécurité alimentaire. OCP investit aussi dans des unités de mélange et de stockage d’engrais dans plusieurs pays et collabore à des projets innovants avec USAID et la Banque mondiale, notamment dans la production d’ammoniac vert. SOMAGEC, acteur portuaire marocain majeur, réalise des projets en Guinée équatoriale, au Sénégal, en Mauritanie, au Bénin et à Djibouti, employant des milliers de personnes. Africa Motors, filiale d’Auto Hall, développe la production et la distribution automobile en partenariat avec Dongfeng pour plusieurs marchés africains. Le sport est également un levier de coopération: la Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football a signé plus de 43 partenariats avec des fédérations africaines. À travers ses entreprises et projets, le Maroc consolide son rôle clé dans le développement africain, fondé sur la solidarité, l’intégration économique et la prospérité partagée, suscitant jalousie et reconnaissance. La coopération marocaine en Afrique est un pilier stratégique fondé sur le partage d’expertise, le développement économique et le renforcement des liens culturels. Grâce à son positionnement géographique et historique, le Maroc joue un rôle majeur dans l’intégration régionale, en soutenant des projets d’infrastructures, de formation, et d’innovation. Cette coopération se caractérise par un engagement durable visant à promouvoir la paix, la sécurité et le développement durable sur le continent africain. Le désenclavement proposé pour les pays du Sahel, par le recours au futur port de Dakhla va sans doute aucun davantage accélérer l'intégration recherchée à l'avantage des centaines de millions de pays africains. L’idée de construire des ports comme celui de Dakhla s’appuie beaucoup sur la géographie stratégique du Maroc. C’est un atout qui saute aux yeux quand on regarde la carte. Le Maroc dispose d’un littoral de plus de 3 500 km, tourné à la fois vers l’Europe, l’Afrique de l’Ouest et l’Amérique. Dakhla, en particulier, se situe à mi-chemin entre l’Europe et l’Afrique subsaharienne, ce qui en fait un point d’escale maritime naturel. La côte atlantique marocaine se trouve sur la voie qui relie la Méditerranée (via Gibraltar) à l’Afrique de l’Ouest et à l’Amérique. Cela permet de capter une partie des flux logistiques mondiaux. Le Maroc est à moins de 15 km de l’Europe à Gibraltar et en même temps relié à l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Le port de Dakhla s’inscrit dans cette logique : servir de hub logistique et industriel entre les deux continents. La zone de Dakhla offre des conditions naturelles favorables: eaux profondes et faible houle permettant de construire un port capable d’accueillir de grands navires, ce qui est rare sur la côte ouest-africaine. Avec la Zone de libre-échange continentale africaine, un port comme Dakhla permettra donc au Maroc d’être une porte d’entrée des flux commerciaux vers l’Afrique de l’Ouest et au-delà vers le Mali, le Niger, le Sénégal, la Côte d’Ivoire et plus. Le Maroc a compris, les partenaires africains aussi. L'avenir sera radieux main dans la main.
Aziz Daouda Aziz Daouda

Aziz Daouda

Directeur Technique et du Développement de la Confédération Africaine d'Athlétisme. Passionné du Maroc, passionné d'Afrique. Concerné par ce qui se passe, formulant mon point de vue quand j'en ai un. Humaniste, j'essaye de l'être, humain je veux l'être. Mon histoire est intimement liée à l'athlétisme marocain et mondial. J'ai eu le privilège de participer à la gloire de mon pays .


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Magickal Paths 11

Tupan, 20 min.
In magick, “right-hand path” (RHP) and “left-hand path” (LHP) name two different orientations toward power and the sacred—not simple good/evil lanes. The RHP aims at theurgy: purifying the self, aligning with a transcendent order, and uniting with something higher—the Godhead, Nous, Holy Guardian Angel, True Will. Authority flows downward through lineage, consecration, and rule. You clean the vessel first—banishings, abstinences, prayer, graded initiations—then invoke to become more transparent to the divine. The ethic is about humility, service, and character. Power’s legitimate when it’s bound by vow and used to heal, protect, and teach. That’s one posture. The LHP, by contrast, aims at apotheosis—exalting and individuating the magician until the self becomes its own godform. Authority here flows outward, from the practitioner’s will, forged through ordeal, trance, pacts, and direct negotiation with spirits. Rather than shun taboo currents, the LHP learns to contain and integrate them—to harvest force from desire, fear, rage, or eros and bind it to a chosen aim. You don’t surrender ego so much as refine and weaponize it, ideally with awareness of cost. Ethics turn on accountability: you pay what you promise, own your collateral, and live with your bargains. Both paths draw from the same toolbox—banishing, centering, consecration, circles and triangles, timing, offerings, divination—but sequence and intent differ. An RHP working might banish, consecrate, invoke a solar intelligence, make a petition aligned with vow, and then give thanks and charity. An LHP one might cross a boundary—graveyard, crossroads—under wards, evoke a chthonic spirit, strike a contract with careful terms, and pay every offering to the letter. In the RHP, spirits stand as teachers in a hierarchy; in the LHP, they’re contractors in a negotiated economy. You can see echoes of this back in Tantra—dakṣiṇācāra (conventional) vs. vāmacāra (heterodox)—and in the Western split between theurgy and goetia. Rosicrucian and Golden Dawn rites leaned toward theosis; other traditions, from Crowley’s “True Will” to explicitly LHP currents, tilt toward sovereignty and self-deification. Modern magicians mix freely. A Thelemite might invoke the Holy Guardian Angel on Sunday, then perform an uncrossing at a graveyard Tuesday night. Chaos magicians switch hands almost by instinct, tailoring each operation to its need. Every approach has hazards. The RHP can fall into moralism, spiritual bypass, or dependence on external authority. The LHP can slide into narcissism, thrill-seeking, or treating everything—people included—as currency. That’s why mature practice always builds guardrails: divination before and after; clarity of aim; wards; records; fulfillment of obligations; aftercare for the psyche and for relationships touched by the work. A small litmus test helps: Does the working increase lucidity, steadiness, and the capacity to keep one’s word without needless harm? If not, change the method. It’s all experiment, after all. Choosing which hand to use isn’t about belonging to a tribe—it’s about the task. Healing old patterns, steadying life, and cultivating virtue thrive in RHP containers. Breaking paralysis, reclaiming agency, confronting shadow material, or working under pact lean LHP. Most of us end up ambidextrous anyway: vow on Sunday, crossroads on Tuesday, always with a ledger of costs—and enough honesty to pay when the bill comes due. Both paths can sanctify or corrupt. The art is knowing which hand opens which door—and closing it properly when you are done.

My five witnesses of love 30

Boucharfou, 1 h.
Of this love that I have for you I have five witnesses: My frail body which has lost its plumpness! My hot tears despite your good care!! My hands that tremble when you are far away!!! My poor heart beating very hard in its little corner!!!! And the hope of meeting you, one day, a few minutes…. at least !!!!! ​Dr Fouad Bouchareb All rights are protected

FIFA World Cup 2026: risk of a tournament reserved for the wealthiest? An unprecedented inflation... 287

Aziz Daouda, 1 d.
The 2026 World Cup, jointly organized by the **États-Unis, le Canada et le Mexique**, promises to be an extraordinary event: an expanded format with 48 teams, 104 matches, state-of-the-art facilities, and what is expected to be the most massive media coverage in sports history. However, as initial details about ticketing and logistical costs emerge, growing concern is palpable among fans: **the North American World Cup could become the most expensive World Cup ever organized**, to the point of calling into question the very accessibility of the event. At the heart of this concern is the American model of *dynamic pricing*, a system where prices are never fixed. They fluctuate according to demand, the volume of online requests, the status of the match, and even algorithmic parameters beyond the consumer’s control. For example, a hotel room normally priced around 200 USD might not be offered for less than 500 or even 600 USD, probably more for late bookers. This mechanism, common in American professional sports, could turn World Cup ticket purchases into a frenzied and even unfair race. Some final tickets are already priced between $5,000 and $20,000, a completely unprecedented level. Group stage tickets could see daily price swings, making financial planning nearly impossible for foreign fans. American supporters, already used to high prices in the NBA, NFL, or MLB, seem better equipped to navigate this system. Conversely, for Moroccan, Brazilian, Senegalese, Egyptian, or Indonesian fans, this model represents an almost insurmountable barrier. Adding to this cloudy scenario is the question of the official resale platform: **FIFA Official Ticket Resale Platform**. Ideally, it prevents black-market sales and secures transactions. But in a market dominated by speculative logic, it could become a playground for actors seeking to maximize profits, especially since FIFA takes a commission. FIFA has not yet communicated safeguards it plans to implement. Without strict regulation, resale could amplify price volatility, particularly for highly sought-after matches: final rounds, games involving teams with strong diasporas, as well as the opening match and final. One of the most puzzling aspects of this World Cup is the early sale of tickets without specific match assignments. In the USA, out of the **6 millions de billets prévus**, nearly **2 millions ont déjà trouvé preneur**, while buyers do not yet know which matches they paid for. This reflects several dynamics: - Total confidence from the American public in the event's organization; - The high purchasing power of an audience willing to invest heavily in sports experiences; - A structural asymmetry between American supporters and international fans, the latter compelled to wait for match assignments to plan trips and budgets. This situation fuels fears that stadiums will be largely filled with local spectators, to the detriment of fans supporting their teams from abroad. The USA ranks among the world’s most expensive hotel markets, and the selected cities are no exception: **New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, Dallas ou encore San Francisco** regularly top lists of the priciest destinations. A genuine inflation is expected across the hotel sector. During major sporting events, room prices can double or triple. For a month-long World Cup, projections are even more alarming: some operators are already talking about "prices never seen before." Fans should expect: - Massive hikes in hotel prices; - Predictable saturation of alternative accommodations; - Very high internal transport costs, since distances between host cities often require air travel. All these factors raise a central question: who will the 2026 World Cup really serve? The 250 million registered football players worldwide may feel somewhat frustrated. Their sport is slipping away. The North American model, dominated by commercial logic and speculative mechanisms, seems incompatible with football’s tradition as a popular sport. We might witness the emergence of a two-speed World Cup: - A premium World Cup, largely attended by North American audiences and wealthier supporters; - A remote World Cup for millions of international fans who must content themselves with televised broadcasts due to insufficient means to attend. For supporters from countries where median income is far lower than in the United States, be they African, Latin American, Asian, or even European nations, the experience could become inaccessible. FIFA clearly faces a strategic dilemma. Sooner or later, it will have to address this issue. Certainly, the choice of the United States guarantees top-level infrastructure, record revenues, a colossal advertising market, and a logistics organization of rare reliability. But this financial logic could directly contradict football’s social and symbolic mission: to bring people together, unite, and include. If the 2026 World Cup turns into an elitist event, it risks leaving a lasting negative impression in public opinion. Modern football, already criticized for its commercial drift, could face increased pushback from fans—the very fans who keep the sport alive—especially as FIFA’s revenues rise from $7.5 billion to $13 billion. The World Cup is thus under tension. In 2026, it will likely be spectacular both sportingly and organizationally. But it could also mark a turning point in World Cup history: when the event stops being a popular and accessible gathering and turns into a premium product for a privileged audience. Between ticket inflation, skyrocketing hotel prices, logistical distances, and the American economic model, the real risk exists that this edition will go down as the most exclusive, most expensive, and least accessible. FIFA, the organizers, and host cities will have to find ways to mitigate this dynamic to preserve football’s very essence: a universal sport that belongs to everyone. Could the proximity between Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump, even their friendship, help in any way?

CAN 2025 in Morocco: Reflection of a Major Probable Migratory and Social Transformation... 331

Aziz Daouda, 2 d.
- Politics - Society - Sports -
3 min read.
Three weeks before the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, it seems appropriate to revisit key insights from the 2024 General Population and Housing Census (RGPH 2024). This event will undoubtedly have a powerful impact on the country's perception, through the positive images it is already broadcasting and, consequently, on future demographic data. The census shows that out of 36.8 million recorded inhabitants, 148,152 people are foreign nationals, representing nearly 0.4% of the total population, an increase of over 76% compared to 2014. Behind this relatively modest figure lies a structural transformation: the rise of Sub-Saharan African migrants, partial feminization of flows, strong urban concentration, and increasingly qualified profiles. Morocco's geographical position and economic evolution have, in a relatively short time, transformed it from a country of emigration into a space of settlement and transit for migrants with varied profiles. The National Strategy on Immigration and Asylum (SNIA), adopted in 2013, along with the regularization campaigns of 2014 and 2017, have established a more inclusive approach in Morocco and better statistical knowledge of the populations concerned. Sub-Saharan African nationals now represent nearly 60% of migrants, compared to about 27% in 2014. The share of Europeans has declined to just over 20%. That of MENA region nationals is only 7%. Morocco's continental anchoring is thus confirmed. In terms of nationalities, Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire account for more than one-third of foreigners, ahead of France, which remains the leading European nationality with nearly 14% of foreign residents. Other countries like Guinea, Mali, Congo-Brazzaville, Cameroon, or Syria complete this panorama. Foreign residents in Morocco are mostly recent arrivals: more than half report arriving since 2021, and more than one-third between 2011 and 2020, testifying to a very recent acceleration of arrivals. A majority of this population will fill the stands during the CAN. Economic motives overwhelmingly dominate: more than 53% of migrants cite work as the main reason, confirming Morocco's role as a regional attraction pole in sectors such as construction, services, agriculture, and the informal economy. Family reasons follow (a little over 20%), reflecting the growing weight of family reunification and medium- to long-term settlement projects, then studies and post-graduation (about 14%), a sign of the country's academic attractiveness to Sub-Saharan students. Humanitarian motives, flight from conflicts, insecurity, racism, or climate change effects—remain numerically minor. Morocco thus appears as a hybrid space where labor migrations, student mobility, family reunifications, and international protection needs coexist. The vast majority of foreign residents live in cities: nearly 95% are settled in urban areas, confirming the role of major agglomerations as entry points and integration spaces. Two regions clearly dominate: Casablanca-Settat, which hosts more than 43% of foreigners, and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra with a little over 19%, though the latter's share has declined compared to 2014 in favor of Casablanca. Nearly 56% of this population are men, but feminization is progressing, particularly among certain nationalities like Ivorian women and Filipinos, who are very present in personal services and domestic work. More than 80% of foreign residents are between 15 and 64 years old, making them essentially a working-age group, with a non-negligible presence of children and a minority of elderly people. Nearly half of people aged 15 and over are single, while a little over 45% are married, showing the coexistence of individual mobility trajectories and stabilized family projects. The education level appears generally high: nearly 39% hold a higher diploma and 28% have reached secondary level. Employed workers are mostly private sector employees, while a minority work as independents, employers, or public sector employees, highlighting the diversity of professional integration modes. The relatively limited share of unemployed may mask forms of underemployment or precariousness in the informal sector. In 2024, more than 71,000 households include at least one foreign resident. About 31% are exclusively composed of foreigners, while about 69% are mixed households combining Moroccans and foreigners, a proportion sharply up from 2014. This rise in mixed households reflects a deepening of residential and social integration, through mixed marriages, welcoming relatives, or shared cohabitations linked to work and studies. In terms of housing, the majority of foreign households live in apartments, followed by modern Moroccan houses, reflecting integration into the ordinary urban fabric rather than segregated housing forms. Exclusively foreign households are overwhelmingly tenants, while mixed households are more often owners or co-owners, highlighting differentiated settlement trajectories based on household composition. The RGPH 2024 results confirm that the foreign presence in Morocco, though numerically limited, now constitutes a structural and lasting fact of society. The youth, the high proportion of active workers, the rise of family and mixed households, as well as the diversification of educational profiles, call for greater coordination between migration policies, urban, social, and educational policies.The major challenges concern valuing the economic and demographic potential of this population, access to education, health, housing, and decent work, and combating discrimination in a context of cultural pluralization. The SNIA mechanisms to meet Morocco's regional and international commitments in migration governance must also evolve. However, these figures and data will likely undergo real evolution in the coming years: the African media focus on the CAN, and later on the World Cup in Morocco, will reveal the country's assets and increase its attractiveness. These two events, through their combined media weight and the impressions reported by the thousands of expected spectators, should play a promotional role for the country. Deep Africa will discover Morocco and the multiple opportunities it offers, both economically and for studies.