Morocco strengthens its presence in English-speaking Africa
- Greater presence in English-speaking Africa
- Growing support for Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara
- Opportunities in English-speaking Africa
As part of its new diplomatic strategy in Africa, launched since its return to the African Union in 2017, Morocco has undertaken a profound transformation of its foreign policy, adopting an approach focused on South-South cooperation.
In this vein, the country plays a crucial role in economic exchanges on a continental scale and is stepping up its economic relations with English-speaking Africa through investments in sectors such as infrastructure, telecommunications, financial services and agriculture.
English-speaking African countries such as Ghana, Kenya and South Africa are important economic partners for Morocco due to their rapid economic growth and relative stability. Rwanda and Ethiopia, on the other hand, stand out for their growth potential resulting from recent economic reforms and a commitment to strengthening regional integration.
Greater presence in English-speaking Africa
Morocco has moved beyond its traditional sphere of influence in French-speaking West Africa to strengthen its presence in English-speaking Africa, ushering in a new era in relations between Rabat and cities such as Nairobi, Accra and Pretoria.
This proactive diplomacy, which is committed to an ambitious strategy aimed at strengthening its presence in English-speaking Africa, is the direct result of an analysis of regional geopolitics and the North African country's desire to consolidate a partnership that is beneficial to all parties, diversify its partners and develop multidimensional cooperative relations.
This dynamic strengthens Morocco's position as a key pillar in the integration and transformation of the African continent and demonstrates its commitment to defending its territorial interests on the one hand and stability and sustainable development in Africa on the other.
Growing support for Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara
Morocco has demonstrated its ability to promote stability and sustainable development by placing South-South cooperation and dialogue at the heart of its continental policy, conditioned by the issue of territorial integrity as a sine qua non factor in its foreign relations.
In this regard, as a result of Moroccan initiatives, several English-speaking countries, traditionally reserved or known for their historically hostile policy towards the Moroccan kingdom, have significantly changed their diplomatic position on the sovereignty of Western Sahara, supporting Morocco's sovereignty over its southern provinces.
Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Zambia, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Malawi have expressed growing support for Moroccan sovereignty, recognising the 2007 autonomy plan as a credible and lasting solution to the conflict.
Kenya, for example, officially recognised the autonomy plan, making a historic diplomatic shift in May 2025 with the opening of its embassy in Rabat. For their part, the Comoros, Zambia and Malawi rejected a memorandum of understanding that included the Polisario Front, confirming their position in favour of Morocco.
Last June, Ghana also suspended its relations with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and currently supports the 2007 autonomy proposal as a solution to the Western Sahara conflict, joining the list of countries that support Morocco.
Previously, other English-speaking African countries such as Liberia, Zambia, Eswatini and Malawi had shown clear support for Morocco by opening consulates in the southern provinces, reaffirming their full support for the autonomy initiative.
Opportunities in English-speaking Africa
The consolidation of Morocco's position as an economic leader in Africa requires maximising the opportunities offered by the diversity of trade relations with the continent's English-speaking countries:
- Revitalising cultural, religious and economic ties between Morocco and English-speaking Africa.
- Establishing Moroccan companies in sectors such as banking, green energy and construction.
- Develop the country's national and international logistics connectivity. Hence the national logistics projects, such as the Tiznit-Dajla motorway, the Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed line, the Morocco 2040 railway plan and the Port of Dajla Atlantique.
- Faced with port projects in Mauritania and Senegal, Morocco must capture logistics flows from South America and Europe bound for West Africa and the Sahel.
- Its advantageous position with some countries, such as Gambia, Tanzania and Kenya, which show a marked preference for Moroccan products and are characterised by a high level of export trade.
Given that countries such as Eritrea and Lesotho have low trade indices, Morocco faces the challenge of diversifying its trade relations with English-speaking Africa within the framework of a win-win partnership, which involves several actions:
- Focusing its efforts on expanding exports to high-potential markets such as Gambia and Kenya through specific marketing strategies.
- Establish bilateral agreements in the agriculture and technology sectors to take full advantage of these growing markets.
- Diversify imports by strengthening trade with countries such as Liberia and Uganda and establishing stronger relations with these emerging economies.
- Improve infrastructure and develop local value chains to stimulate trade between these countries and Morocco in areas where both economies share needs and complementary products.
- Pay attention to countries with low trade levels, such as Eritrea and Lesotho, by strengthening Moroccan investments in infrastructure and regional cooperation programmes to develop these markets and boost trade flows.
