The Moroccan capital, Rabat, is hosting the African Maritime Forces Summit (AMFS-2026) which got underway on Monday and ends on Friday.
This summit is focusing on maritime security issues and strengthening regional cooperation between African officials and their American counterparts.
Organised by the Royal Moroccan Navy, in partnership with the Naval Forces Europe and Africa (NAVAF) Command and the Marine Corps Europe and Africa (MARFORAF) Command, the AMFS-2026 Summit, held in accordance with royal directives, provides a key forum for discussions on maritime security and strengthening
regional cooperation between African officials and their American counterparts, according to a statement from the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR).
This major international event brings together, in addition to African countries, civilian and military officials from
Morocco, the United States, as well as representatives from Saudi Arabia, Brazil, the Republic of Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, France, Italy, Jordan, Malta, Norway, Oman, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Turkey.
The discussions are structured around three main themes: maritime security, regional cooperation, and technological innovation, according to the same source.
The opening ceremony was co-chaired, on the Moroccan side, by Rear Admiral Mohamed Tahin, Inspector of the Royal Navy, and Colonel Abdellah Athmani, Chief of the 2nd Bureau of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), and on the American side, by Mr. Ben Ziff, Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Rabat, Admiral George Wikoff, Commander of NAVAF, and Major General Daniel L. Shipley, Commander of MARFORAF.
The Summit program includes several conferences and presentations led by experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, focusing in particular on the Royal Atlantic Initiative, as well as by specialists from the royal navy.
The presentations address a variety of topics, including coordination in the fields of hydrography, oceanography, and cartography; the evolution of International Hydrographic Organization standards; the role of regional hydrographic commissions; regional coordination of search and rescue operations at sea; and maritime domain awareness and monitoring.
Alongside the summit, an exhibition dedicated to maritime security was held on July 21st, featuring institutional booths hosted by the Royal Gendarmerie, the Royal Navy, the State Secretariat for Maritime Fisheries, the Directorate of Ports and the Public Maritime Domain, the National Meteorological Directorate, the National Ports Agency, the National Agency for Aquaculture Development, the National Fisheries Research Institute, the National Maritime Coordination and Rescue Centre, and the port complexes of Tangier Med, Nador West Med, and Dakhla Atlantic.
AK/Sf/fss/as/APA