Adopting a holistic and pragmatic approach, Morocco left no stone unturned in its quest to foster South-South cooperation and strengthen its ties with African sister nations. Even globally, Morocco has worked tirelessly to position itself as a reliable partner in key transnational issues, mainly security, counterterrorism, and environment, which in turn, has granted the Kingdom an exceptional international standing. Morocco’s interest in Africa is hardly new nor fleeting, as its history can attest to, the Kingdom has always been driven by pan-Africanism for a more integrated, secure, and prosperous region. Still, since the ascension of King Mohammed VI to the throne, Morocco’s African policy has not only become all-encompassing, with an increased focus on economic cooperation, but it has also resorted to decoupling African states’ position on the Sahara conflict and prospects of multilateral or bilateral cooperation, a tactical move that enabled Morocco to consolidate its presence and influence in Africa all while securing significant diplomatic victories in regard to its territorial integrity.
Amid a debilitating global crisis provoked by the pandemic and worsened by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Africa finds itself in dire need of far more than just immediate economic recovery, but rather setting the foundation for resilience, stability and sustainability, all of which Morocco puts at the forefront of its African policy. This sheds a favorable light on Morocco, an African state with the potential and willingness to become a regional power leading sustainable development, fostering South-South cooperation, facilitating European-African cooperation due to its advanced status, American-African cooperation through the US-Africa Business Summit, and Chinese-African cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, all for the benefit of Africa. While Rabat’s soft power is incontestable, Morocco’s place in Africa is still compromised by competing regional powers and challenges that emanate from the complex and different political, economic, and cultural realities of African states.
A Staunch Advocate of Regional Economic Integration
Today, Africa remains the only non-industrialized continent and one of the most fragmented regions across the globe. Thus, and despite its significant natural and human resources, the continent is far from being a key player in the global economy. Starting the 2000s, South-South cooperation gained further momentum and solidified its place as a pillar of Morocco’s African policy with more than 1000 cooperation agreements with African states and Royal visits to more than 30 African states to consolidate bilateral cooperation and create business opportunities.
Morocco’s Steady Steps on the Path to Industrialization
According to the Atlas of Economic Complexity, Morocco ranked 80th out of 133 countries in the Economic Complexity Index ranking, describing it as “slightly more complex than expected for its income level.” Morocco may not be categorized as an industrialized country, but the Kingdom has been developing its industrial sector at a rapid pace and urging African states to do the same. In fact, Edward Chisanga, member of the International Center for trade and sustainable development, declared that “what we need the most is to follow the path taken by countries like Morocco whose world exports of manufactured products amount to 72%.” The Zambian expert added that Morocco is benefiting from WTO agreements by industrializing and diversifying its economy. To accompany its industrial development, Morocco launched the Industrial Acceleration Plan 2014-2020 that aimed to create industrial ecosystems for a more integrated industry, support tools adapted to the industrial base, and improve Morocco’s international positioning. Indeed, Morocco’s industrial sector witnessed a significant development with the industrial GDP going from 21.6 to 29.3 billion USD and value-added manufacturing expanding from 13.4 to 17.7 billion USD between 2009 and 2018, according to the African Development Bank. The Industrial Acceleration Plan 2014-2020 was deemed successful, having created 54 industrial systems in partnership with 32 professional associations and universities in automotive, textile, aeronautics, construction materials industry, metallurgical and mechanical industry, offshoring, pharmaceutical industry, food industry and phosphate, according to the former Head of Government, Saad Eddine El Othmani. This allowed Morocco to launch the second generation of the Industrial Acceleration Plan 2021-2025 that aims to materialize the progress made in the first phase, adopt Industry 4.0 in manufacturing, and boost foreign investment. Morocco’s industrialization efforts were particularly notable during the COVID 19 crisis, when its textile manufacturing units produced face masks that were exported to Europe and Africa. Morocco managed to successfully create a business conducive environment due to its strategic geographical position and vested interest in shifting its economy from relying heavily on agriculture to developing its industry to generate added-value from exports, something the African continent as a whole struggles to achieve seeing as ¾ of Africa’s merchandise exports are primary goods and its imported manufactured goods were three times its exported manufactured goods in 2020, according to the UNCTAD. This allows Morocco to position itself as a regional industrial hub willing to accelerate industrialization in Africa by sharing its expertise, providing technical assistance, facilitating foreign investment in the private sector, and creating industrial clusters across Africa.
Morocco’s main imports from Africa are petroleum gas, fruits, monitors, bran, sanitary pads, among others, and its main exports to Africa are fertilizers, preserved fish, frozen fish, insulated wires, cane/beet sugar, among others, according to the Trade Law Center NPC. This allows Morocco to score a surplus when it comes to trading with Africa, as the graph demonstrates.
Investing in the African Continent: A Pillar of Morocco’s Vision
As presented in the Department of State’s 2022 Investment Climate on Morocco, the Kingdom’s ambition to position itself as a financial hub in Africa leads it to prioritize investment within the continent, demonstrating its will to foster South-South cooperation within the framework of a win-win partnership. At the US-Africa Business Summit, Ali Seddiki, the Director General of the Moroccan Agency for the Development of Investment and Exports (AMDIE), mentioned that thanks to advanced infrastructure, highly skilled human resources and a strategic position with access to potential markets around the world, the Kingdom offers a favorable business climate for companies, especially African ones. The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, also stated that “the Kingdom, through its system of governance, provides an environment conducive to the promotion of mobilization of resources and capital for Africa”, and mentioned that Morocco has been among the first countries to support the creation of Africa50, a pan-African platform for investment and infrastructure. Indeed, Morocco’s investments in Africa are not negligible, as the graph below demonstrates.
The African Development Bank reported that OCP Group said that it will offer African countries 180,000 tons of soil nutrients in assistance, and 370,000 tons at a reduced price, representing 16% of African demand this year and 25% of OCP Group’s sales on the continent. Morocco has also consolidated its presence in Africa through banks, telecommunications, airlines, insurance companies, and more. The Africa Report states that Morocco’s Attijariwafa Bank (AWB), BMCE Bank of Africa (BOA) and Banque Centrale Populaire (BCP) “now make between a quarter and a third of their net consolidated profits in other African markets; BOA’s network has grown the African contribution to its overall profit to 35%; for BCP it is around 25% and for AWB 31%.” Maroc Telecom, the national telecommunications operator, is ranked the third telecommunications brand by Brand Finance Africa, behind MTN and Vodacom. The telecommunications giant is now present in 11 countries in Africa: Morocco, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Central African Republic, Chad, and Togo, with revenues that reached 35.79 billion dirhams, 16.91 of which are international revenues, according to Maroc Telecom. Morocco’s national airline company RAM is seeking to establish itself in Africa, reserving 32 out of 84 destinations for the African continent. Recently, RAM signed 5 agreements with privileged partners in Senegal, its first Sub-Saharan market, according to MAP. Morocco is also pursuing economic cooperation through bilateral projects in Africa, most notably with Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa. Morocco is currently leading the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project with Nigeria which is expected to “to produce enough electricity for domestic consumption, manufacturing activities, agricultural production, create job opportunities and improve the living conditions of the people,” according to the President of the Atlas Center for the Analysis of Political and Institutional Indicators, Mohamed Bouden. The expert adds that this project is “aimed at improving the energy security of African and European countries, as well as a crossroads for the energy interests of several international stakeholders.”
In line with the Royal vision pushing for economic integration, Morocco signed and ratified the African Continental Free-Trade Area treaty (AfCFTA). Mohcine Jazouli, former Minister Delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, reaffirmed Morocco’s “attachment to the implementation of this agreement, as a pillar of African economic integration, noting that the Kingdom also reiterates its readiness to contribute to the advancement of work leading to the operationalization of the AfCFTA and the start of trading exchanges.”
A Strong Proponent of Environmental Protection and Food Security
The ghost of desertification looms on the African continent covered with soils of poor fertility. Dr. André Bationo, Chief of Party for the Smallholder Agricultural Productivity Enhancement Program (SAPEP) and winner of the 2020 Africa Food Prize, states that “inappropriate land use, poor management and lack of input have led to a decline in productivity, soil erosion, salinization and loss of vegetation.” According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, Africa’s adaptation efforts to fight climate change and ensure food security is expected to cost up to 50 billion USD, assuming global warming remains below 2°C this century. King Mohammed VI stressed the importance of tackling this issue in his speech to the Summit of Heads of State and Government on Drought and Sustainable Land Management calling for “the establishment of a genuine African alliance against desertification, and for furnishing it with sufficient financial and technological resources to ensure effective action.” Africa’s dependency on the global market for commodities essential to its survival, namely wheat, was rendered more visible than ever after the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted. In the graph below, the UNCTAD Rapid Assessment reveals the disastrous impact the conflict has had on Africa, who is largely dependent on Ukraine and Russia in terms of wheat exports.
Morocco’s commitment to Africa’s environmental protection and food security did not form overnight seeing as the Kingdom has always been a key player in the fight against climate change on the regional and international levels. This commitment is evidenced by King Mohammed VI’s creation of the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment in 2001, currently headed by Princess Lalla Hasnaa, the ratification of the National Charter for the Environment and Sustainable Development in 2010, and the 2011 Constitution, whose Article 31, 71, and 152, give importance to the environment and its protection. Presently, Morocco implemented the “Forests of Morocco 2020-2030” and “Green Generation 2020-2030” strategies, in addition to its “National Water Plan” and its Nationally Determined Contribution that is expected to reach 45.5% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030, according to King Mohammed VI’s speech. Hosting the COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco spearheaded efforts to launch the initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture (AAA) to address Africa’s vulnerability to climate change. The objective of the AAA initiative, currently supported by 25 African countries, the UNFCCC, and the FAO, “is to place the Adaptation of African Agriculture at the heart of climate debates and negotiations, and to attract a substantial share of climate funds. As for the solutions, it also aims to contribute to the roll-out of specific agricultural projects,” according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests. Another noteworthy initiative Morocco co-launched with Senegal is the initiative on Sustainability, Stability and Security, that addresses the declining productivity of the land and its repercussions on youth employment, declared the UNCCD. Spearheading efforts to fight climate change and ensure food security has always been“a privileged area of the Moroccan policy of South-South and triangular cooperation” according to the minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.
Setting an International Benchmark for Stability and Security
In a context of global and regional uncertainty, Morocco is lauded and recognized internationally for its stellar efforts in maintaining political stability, spearheading the fight against terrorism and insecurity in the region, and branding itself as an efficient, impartial, and above all, trustworthy mediator. Morocco, the only constitutional monarchy in North Africa, was the exception to the rule and demonstrated relative immunity to the revolutionary fever spread by the Arab Spring in the region. Moroccans who took to the streets to express their demands, all while branding portraits of King Mohammed VI, were allowed peaceful protests and met with political, economic, and social reforms introduced by the King, most notable of which is the constitutional reform of 2011. Pierre Vermeren, Historian of contemporary Maghreb societies, stated that “King Mohammed VI has taken the unexpected demands of the people very seriously.” Mohamed Nejib Ouerghi, a Tunisian political scientist, affirmed that “Today, Morocco presents itself as a regional power that counts and no one could disregard its rank and action for peace, security and stability in the region.” To illustrate this statement with tangible data, Morocco ranked 76th out of 93 countries in terms of terrorist threat with a 1.156 out of 10 score, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2022. Moreover, the Kingdom ranked 80th out of 163 countries in the 2022 Positive Peace Index, earning it country with “high level of positive peace” label and is the 24th out of 134 countries with a score of 8.0539 on the list of Global Finance’s World’s Safest Countries 2021, that relies on war and peace, personal security, and natural disaster risk for its ranking.
Leading the Fight Against Terrorism and Religious Extremism
According to Mr. Steve Killelea, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), Sub-Saharan Africa, alone, accounts for 48% of total global deaths from terrorism and is home to four of the ten countries globally with the largest increases in deaths from terrorism. Morocco’s counterterrorism evolution is nothing short of admirable and the need for African states to study and replicate the Kingdom’s transformation from the 2003 Casablanca attacks to the opening of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) in Rabat in 2021, the first of its kind in Africa that builds “on the pooling of expertise of Morocco and UNOCT in order to provide quality training for African States, in a collaborative and responsible approach,” according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, is of the essence. Claiming lives and sowing terror, Morocco’s knee-jerk reaction to the attacks, comprised of the adopting of law 03.03, the first among a series of legal reforms on counterterrorism, was vital to recognize terrorism as a serious threat that requires a comprehensive strategy rather than a string of unrelated attacks. This led Morocco to adopt a tri-dimensional counterterrorism strategy that rests on three pillars: security, socio-economic development policies, and the spread of moderate Islam, all of which target the human element. On religion, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, stated that “for Morocco, country of the Commandery of the Faithful, religion should serve as a bulwark against extremism rather than its pretext.” Indeed, Morocco’s model of religious moderation that rests on the Sunni Maliki tradition, the Ash’ari theological school and Sufism that call for tolerance, peace, and coexistence, above all else. The USC Center on Public Diplomacy states that King Mohammed VI’s religious leadership is incontestable among West Africans, who adhere to the Tijaniyyah Sufi group and make annual pilgrimages to Fez. Thus, Morocco, who has become increasingly aware of the importance of the variable of religion in the security equation in Africa, sought to reinforce its religious diplomacy in the continent. During his visits to African states, King Mohammed VI made a point of leading Friday prayers in often Tijani-affiliated mosques, gifting copies of the Quran, standardized according to the Warch school of writing and reciting, and generous donations to build mosques such as Mosques Mohammed VI in Conakry, Guinea and in Dar Essalam in Tanzania. In addition to these initiatives, the establishment of the Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, Morchidines and Morchidates in 2015 cemented Morocco’s religious leadership in the continent. The training provided for this new generation of Imams is extensive comprising Quranic sciences, tradition, prophetic hagiography, fiqh and its foundations, dogmatics and Sufism, the history of Islam and the currents of contemporary Islam, in addition to an introduction to humanities and social sciences, language and communication courses, and for Sub-Saharan students, a complementary non-religious training. The Institute is getting ready to launch its 19th promotion to train 150 Imams and 100 Morchidates, according to the Ministry of Religious Endowments and Islamic Affairs.
To name but a few of Morocco’s international contributions and distinctions in the fight against terrorism, the Kingdom has sought to integrate women in Morocco’s prevention and countering of violent extremism (PCVE) efforts, joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and co-chaired the Foreign Terrorist Fighter Working Group of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), in addition to participating in military operations such as African Lion on a constant basis. Morocco’s commitment to international cooperation on counterterrorism goes beyond the aforementioned. In fact, Habboub Cherkaoui, Director of Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ), stated that Morocco firmly believes in the importance of cooperation “and the exchange of intelligence related to the fight against terrorism with all partner and non-partner countries because the number one enemy is terrorism” notably illustrated by Morocco alerting the intelligence community to Al Qaeda’s interest in the Sahel as a prospective operational area in 2001. Yet, and despite Africa being the epicenter of terrorist threat, the coordination of security policies in Africa coordination remains quasi-absent leaving ample room for terrorist activity to take form and evolve. In fact, Algeria’s lack of security cooperation with Morocco has led it to deploy greater efforts to manage and counter any terrorist threats, especially ones emanating from Tindouf camps, whose involvement and complicity with terrorist groups have been proved. Needless to say, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2022 Report, “Moroccan law enforcement successes in thwarting attacks while adopting responses that observe the rule of law and human rights provide a good example for the rest of the continent.”
At the Crossroads of Europe and Africa: Morocco’s Humanitarian Approach to Migration
The Kingdom’s migration landscape is complex, to say the least, seeing as Morocco is a country of origin, transit, and destination. Due to its strategic geographical position, home to the only African-European land border and roughly 14 kilometers far from Spain by maritime route, it is no wonder Morocco has found itself as a migratory crossroad for African nationals. Still, Morocco sought over the years to desecuritize the issue of migration and push for a human-rights based approach which culminated in the announcement of a new national migration policy in 2013. On the occasion of the 38th anniversary of the Green March, King Mohammed VI declared: “We called on the government to elaborate a new comprehensive policy on immigration and asylum issues, pursuant to a humanitarian approach in conformity with our country’s international commitments and respectful of immigrants’ rights.” Yousra Abourabi, Assistant Professor at Science Po Rabat-UIR, stated that “the new migration policy is based on an innovative discursive framework, which proposes a very different approach from that of Europe, in that it is intended both to be desecuritising and to promote a positive outlook on migration.” The reorientation of Morocco’s migration policy resulted in a regularization program conducted in 2014 which enabled more than 18 000 irregular migrants to get legal status in Morocco. Moreover, these regularized migrants were able to benefit from integration after the implementation of the New National Strategy on Immigration and Asylum in 2015. The 02-03 law adopted in 2003 after terror attacks in Casablanca was also deemed outdated and was replaced by three new laws on asylum, migration, and trafficking in 2015. A second regularization campaign took place in 2017 raising the number of irregular migrants who got residency permits in Morocco to around 50 000 migrants. Between January 2020 and June 2022, UNHCR reports that the number of asylum seekers tripled and the number of refugees increased by 45%, bringing the total to 19 278 refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNHCR in Morocco as of 30 June 2022, among which, 1 113 are from Central African Republic, 1 30 from Ivory Coast, 434 from South Sudan, 1 353 from Sudan, 392 from Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1 085 from Cameroon, and 2 786 from Guinea.
Morocco may seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the migration portfolio. On one hand, the Cherifien Kingdom finds its roots in Africa, a continent where it hopes to consolidate its presence and extend its influence. On the other hand, Morocco is a neighboring and associated country of the European Union, with whom it has deep historical ties. However, it is worthy to note that Morocco’s efforts to de-securitize migration do not affect its efficient and effective management of migratory flows within the framework of shared responsibility. Following the Moroccan-Spanish Permanent Joint Migration Group meeting, the Ministry of Interior issued a report detailing Morocco’s efforts on migration, summarized in the table below:
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Morocco branded itself as a migration leader in Africa, seeking to destigmatize African migration, a role corroborated by the personal involvement of King Mohammed VI which culminated in the creation of the African Migration Observatory. In a speech to the 6th European Union-African Union Summit, King Mohammed VI stated that “the Observatory’s mission is to provide objective data; to re-establish the truth; to reconcile the interests of Africa and those of Europe when they appear to be contradictory; and to replace the security-first approach with the mobility-development continuum, in keeping with the humanist spirit of the Marrakech Compact.” Moreover, the Report of King Mohammed VI on the follow-up of the operationalization of the African Migration Observatory in Morocco shed a light on migrants’ precarious situation during the pandemic stating that it is mandatory that “migrants are not forgotten by development and pandemics, but on the contrary should be the center of gravity of responsible migration policies in line with the 23 objectives of the Marrakech Pact.”
The regrettable events of Melilia on 24 June 2022 relaunched the debate on Morocco’s migration policy, with NGOs and international organizations asking for an impartial investigation. Morocco’s National Council of Human Rights (CNDH) established a fact-finding commission whose findings ruled that a stampede was the cause of death of 23 sub-Saharan migrants who attempted to cross the Spanish-Moroccan border. Morocco sought to renew its partnership on migration and tackling human smuggling networks with the European Commission which covers “support for border management, enhanced police cooperation (including joint investigations), awareness-raising on the dangers of unlawful migration and enhanced cooperation with EU agencies responsible for home affairs.”
Morocco’s efforts in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa are also noteworthy. The Kingdom ranks 12 globally with 1701 personnel contributions as of March 2022. Recently, King Mohammed VI announced the creation of a multidisciplinary Moroccan Peacekeeping Center “whose mission will be to train and support national and foreign skills, particularly on the African continent, in partnership with the United Nations and certain friendly countries, in order to promote the principles of international security and peace,” declared the Sovereign. Morocco is also a renowned and respected mediator committed to helping parties to the conflict find common ground and reach peaceful resolutions. On the Libyan conflict, Morocco is to be credited for the crucial role it played in kick starting the mediation between the Libyan parties through the Skhirat agreement, all while maintaining a stance of positive neutrality. More recently, Morocco’s mediation efforts were able to achieve the opening of “Allenby/King Hussein” border crossing linking the West Bank to Jordan. This move was hailed by all parties and the international community due to the positive impact it will have on Palestinian people. The Media Line reported that Israeli Ambassador to Morocco David Govrin stated that “We truly believe that Morocco can play a very significant role, as it used to play during the ’80s and the ’90s. We believe Morocco can play this role once again, as it enjoys very good relations with Israel and with other Arab countries.”