Morocco and Gambia signed a series of agreements and memoranda encompassing various sectors on Thursday in Dakhla, on the heels of the 3rd session of the Morocco-Gambia Joint Commission.
Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Gambian peer Mamadou Tangara co-chaired this joint commission.
One of the agreements involves synchronization of the countries’ customs administrations, while others aim to find common ground in the areas of maritime fishing, movement of passengers and goods, exchange of information and expertise, tourism, professional training and scholarships, culture, and sports.
An action plan between the two nations’ justice ministries for the years 2024-2025 was agreed upon on this occasion. The goal of this plan is to enhance mutual knowledge exchange and best practice techniques, particularly with respect to governance, capacity building, and judicial administration modernization.
In terms of professional training, it includes setting aside 90 educational spots for young people to undergo training in levels and specialties defined by the Gambian Ministry of Higher Education over a three-year period, at a rate of 30 places per year beginning with the 2024-2025 academic year.
The two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Commercial collaboration with the goal of promoting and developing commercial collaboration between the two parties, while adhering to both nations’ national regulations.
The Republic of The Gambia reiterated during this event its “unwavering” support for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom and its endorsement of the Autonomy Initiative as the only “credible and realistic” solution for resolving the dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
Recalling the opening of a Gambian Consulate General in Dakhla in January 2020, Tangara also reaffirmed his country’s support for the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative.
The Gambian Foreign Minister applauded King’s Mohammed VI efforts to develop the continent from a socioeconomic perspective, resulting in long-term peace and stability, said the joint declaration of the two Foreign Ministries.