Morocco and Senegal deepen mutual economic cooperation
Morocco and Senegal continue to strengthen ties with initiatives that are promoting cooperation at all levels between the two nations.
Despite the media discord that arose from the sad and eventful outcome of the African Cup of Nations football final, in which the Senegalese team defeated host Morocco amid incidents stemming from the Senegalese team's threat to abandon the match in protest against the refereeing, the situation has been resolved and it is clear that both African nations had and continue to have an excellent political and economic relationship within the framework of South-South cooperation, which greatly benefits a continent such as Africa and has been fervently supported by the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI.
An example of this good rapport was the official visit of Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko to Rabat within the framework of the 15th High Joint Commission for Senegalese-Moroccan Cooperation, which led to the signing of up to 17 important agreements in various strategic economic sectors.
At this summit, Ousmane Sonko met with Aziz Akhannouch, the Moroccan Prime Minister, and Nasser Bourita, the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, to strengthen bilateral relations.
The Senegalese delegation accompanying Ousmane Sonko included several members of the government, including Cheikh Niang, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad, Daouda Ngom, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Serigne Guèye Diop, Minister of Industry and Trade, Abdourahmane Sarr, Minister of Economy, Planning and Cooperation, and Mabouba Diagne, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Sovereignty.
This line-up reflects all the issues and sectors addressed at the summit between the two nations, which resulted in the signing of some very important memoranda.
In addition, Senegal reiterated its firm and constant support for the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over Western Sahara, an issue of vital importance for the Moroccan kingdom because it concerns the defence of its territorial integrity, considering this territory part of its southern provinces and including it as an objective in its autonomy plan for the region presented to the UN in 2007.
High-level economic forum
Another example of the intense cooperation between Morocco and Senegal was the high-level economic forum organised in Casablanca by the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), at which both nations expressed their desire to deepen their economic partnership towards a more integrated and longer-term model.
The CGEM economic summit in Casablanca, which was also attended by the Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development (AMDIE), was led by the heads of government of both nations, Aziz Akhannouch and Ousmane Sonko, and discussed improving trade exchanges, prioritising issues such as co-production, local transformation and industrial integration, with a view to co-development and African economic sovereignty.
Trade exchanges reached almost 300 million dollars in 2024 and exceeded 300 million dollars in 2025.
All this is part of the development of South-South cooperation, which greatly benefits Africa in terms of promoting development, collaboration and continental prosperity, and which has always been supported by the Kingdom of Morocco.
All this took place within the framework of South-South cooperation, which greatly benefits Africa in terms of promoting development, collaboration and prosperity on the continent, and which has always been supported by the Kingdom of Morocco, led by King Mohammed VI.
The clear objective of the summit was to boost the bilateral economic partnership between Morocco and Senegal by identifying specific opportunities for investment and co-development, and strengthening the role of the private sector in South-South cooperation between the two countries.
The Senegalese head of government highlighted the depth and unique nature of the relationship between the two countries, based on a ‘long history of fraternity’, ‘mutual respect’ and “solidarity”. Ousmane Sonko emphasised improving bilateral cooperation: ‘We don't just want to buy and sell. We want to produce together, process together and export together,’ as reported by Le Matin.
Meanwhile, the Moroccan Prime Minister highlighted the strong strategic partnership between Rabat and Dakar and the importance of Senegal as a key partner for the Moroccan kingdom in key sectors such as banking, insurance, energy, telecommunications, health, real estate and construction materials, in which Morocco is present in the Senegalese market.