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Morocco-Ghana relations can be viewed as an emerging instance of how to enhance intra-African partnerships among African countries beyond the remnants of colonial barriers such as artificial borders, raw material-based economic structures, and official language divides. The ties between the two countries date back to the immediate post-independence era. This was evident in the key role both Morocco and Ghana played as members of the Casablanca group towards the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) — now the African Union — in the early 1960
The cordial relationship between the two countries took a slight dip in 1979 when Ghana decided to recognize Polisario’s self-proclaimed “Sahrawi republic.” However, the year 2001 saw the rewarming of relations between the two countries when, in the aftermath of a two-day working visit to Rabat by the then Ghanaian President John Kufuor, Morocco and Ghana agreed to strengthen their diplomatic relations and forge ahead in areas of shared interest..
The resumption of diplomatic activities between the two nations immediately led to Ghana’s disavowal of Polisario’s self-styled republic. But the West Africa nation would renew its recognition of the separatist, self-styled entity in 2011 under a different Ghanaian government. This time, there was no deterioration in diplomatic ties notwithstanding Ghana’s pro-Polisario position on the Sahara issue. Instead, the subsequent years would see an increase in diplomatic engagements between Morocco and Ghana, thus laying the groundwork for the current state of strategic and deeply shared and positively evolving alliance between Accra and Rabat.
Deepening trade and cultural cooperation
Trade exchanges, Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), and human capacity building programs through scholarship schemes instituted by the Moroccan Government and administered by the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI) are the main drivers of Morocco’s quest to deepen relations with Ghana.
Morocco and Ghana have both experienced steady growth when it comes to bilateral trade and economic exchanges in the last couple of decades. Both countries are aware of the huge potential that exists for deeper engagements in trade and economic matters.
As a result, they have put in place measures to enhance trade and economic exchanges with each other. In January 2023, Morocco and Ghana established a protocol called the double tax treaty. The aim of this treaty is to prevent double taxation on fiscal and tradable goods between both countries, while fighting against tax evasion regarding these goods. This protocol is expected to enhance bilateral trade and economic exchanges between both nations by offering clarity on tax implications of business dealings between the two countries.
Ghana continues to be one of Morocco’s top three trade partners within the ECOWAS bloc. Morocco’s exports to the West African country have risen to a yearly average of close to 14% in the last two decades. This translates to an increase from about $5 million worth of exported goods in the year 1995 to $ 133 million in the year 2021. Morocco’s exports to Ghana primarily include raw sugar, processed fish and non-fillet frozen fish. On the other hand, Morocco received mainly tropical fruits, cocoa powder, and bran from Ghana in the form of imported goods in 2021
Moroccan Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in Ghana have seen substantial growth in the last decade. The presence of Morocco’s BMCE bank, cement manufacturing company Ciments de l’Afrique (CIMAF), the Addoha real estate group, and the fertilizer manufacturing giant Office Cherifien des Phosphates (OCP) in Ghana strongly affirms the expanding presence of Moroccan investment footprints in Ghana. In 2023, Morocco’s furniture distribution enterprise, KITEA, became the latest Moroccan investment to begin operations in Ghana’s capital Accra.
OCP’s growing role in Ghana’s food security endeavors
Morocco’s OCP has signed key partnership agreements with Ghana’s ministry for food and agriculture to optimize the Ghanaian fertilizer value chain by providing fertilizers at affordable prices to farmers in the country. To operationalize this, OCP signed a deal with the Ghanaian government to construct a $1.3 billion fertilizer plant in the city of Takoradi in western Ghana.
This mega project dovetails with Ghana’s efforts towards the mechanization of its agricultural sector in view of achieving food security. Once fully operational, the fertilizer plan is projected to produce one million tonnes of fertilizer every year and this will have a profound impact by helping save $400 million for Ghana in fertilizer imports annually.
Under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohamed VI, Morocco has attached significant focus on strengthening human capacity building efforts through scholarship schemes that allows students from Ghana to receive training from Moroccan institutions of higher learning. Established in 1986, AMCI is the Moroccan agency responsible for promoting human capacity building via scholarship schemes and socio-cultural exchanges with the aim of implementing Morocco’s vision of fostering south-south cooperation with countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Since 2002, when the first batch of AMCI-sponsored Ghanaian students landed in Morocco to receive training across various disciplines, over 500 Ghanaian youth have benefited from the scholarship scheme in the last 2 decades. They have undergone training in areas such as Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Economics, Engineering etc. in various Moroccan universities and institutions of higher learning.
Read also: How King Mohammed VI Is Reconciling Morocco With Africa
Given the tremendous positive impact of the scholarship program on human resource development for the Ghanaian economy, the number of slots allocated for individuals from Ghana to enroll onto the program doubled in 2019, from 45 slots to 90 slots through diplomatic engagements with stakeholders on both sides. Presently, Ghanaian youths who have benefited from the scholarship scheme have gone back to Ghana and other parts of Africa, excelling as professionals and experts in their respective fields of endeavors.
King Mohamed VI Morocco has endeavored not to exclusively condition its diplomatic relations with sub-Saharan African countries solely based on the Sahara dossier. Economic and trade considerations are key components of Morocco’s engagements with the sub-Saharan region. Morocco’s initiative to deepen its relations with Ghana, an Anglophone country, beyond its traditional French-speaking allies in the ECOWAS sub-region, is a clear indication that Morocco intends to spread its diplomatic tentacles at the continental level. Meanwhile, this endeavor fits into the kingdom’s broader aim of enhancing south-south cooperation with its African counterparts. It is my fervent hope that Morocco’s strategic ambition to strengthen its relationship with Ghana, beyond the remnants of colonial barriers, will continue to flourish in the foreseeable future and will serve as a model for the wider African continent.
