Morocco promotes Guerguerat as a key strategic commercial hub in Africa

The head of Moroccan diplomacy, Nasser Bourita, presented to the national parliament the 27 international agreements that Morocco has signed in recent months, ranging from maritime and air transport to cooperation in defence, justice and customs. 

These agreements would turn Guerguerat into a key commercial hub as the country has established major partnerships with several countries in the Sahel region, especially Mauritania, and Africa to consolidate Guerguerat's role as an international junction. 

‘We want the Guerguerat pass to become an important road hub, and land transport agreements are of great importance,’ said Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.

‘After the conclusion of partnerships with the countries of the Sahel and West Africa, Morocco is exploring new agreements to strengthen the role of Guerguerat as a leading global road junction,’ said the minister. 

Other points that would support the proposal made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs are the strengthening of the Moroccan presence in Western Sahara, thanks to the gradual integration that has made Laayoune and Dakhla the backbone of the region. 

In the case of Dakhla, Bourita pointed out that ‘so far around 10 international agreements have been signed in the city of Dakhla, and it has hosted 6 meetings of joint commissions’. 

The agreements signed cover various areas: investment protection, customs cooperation, the fight against double taxation, legal assistance, extradition and international transport, whether by land, sea or air. 

In addition, he announced the signing of new agreements for the establishment of various international organisations such as the African Development Institute in Dakhla and the regional headquarters of the Francophone University Agency. The Alaouite nation has also signed up to the Charter of the Digital Cooperation Organisation. 

Finally, Bourita emphasised the importance of Morocco not only having the capacity to negotiate and reach agreements, but also being able to guarantee their implementation thanks to the credibility demonstrated by Moroccan foreign policy. ‘The value of our diplomatic action lies not only in the negotiation and signing of agreements, but also in their effective implementation,’ he said. 

Mr Bourita indicated that the North African country will participate in a meeting dedicated to the challenges of this emerging cooperation in February in Paris. In addition, Rabat has harmonised several of its laws with international conventions, in particular those relating to the law of the sea and biodiversity, the Chicago Convention on Civil Aviation and the protection of workers' social rights.