Bourita Reaffirms Morocco’s South-South Cooperation Vision at OACPS Malabo Summit

Casablanca – Morocco took part today in the 11th summit of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States in Malabo, where Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita represented Mohammed VI on high royal instructions.

Joining the summit with Morocco as its guest of honor, Moroccan officials said this honor reflects the country’s growing role in South-South cooperation, especially across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Held under the theme of a renewed and transformed OACPS in a changing world, the summit coincides with the group’s 50th anniversary. It brought together heads of state, government officials and international partners. The opening session also saw the presidency handed over from Angola to Equatorial Guinea.

Speaking before leaders, Bourita said Morocco’s engagement in Africa goes beyond rhetoric. Rabat’s pan-African commitment is a “strategic, coherent and irreversible choice,” he argued. It is built on partnership rather than assistance, and aims for more integrated and flexible cooperation models.

Bourita quoted the King’s 2017 speech at the African Union summit, recalling that Morocco shares what it has “without ostentation.”

He pointed to concrete figures to showcase the impact and genuineness of Morocco’s African pivot. Since 1999, Morocco has signed more than 1,607 cooperation agreements, many during 52 royal visits across Africa, Bourita recalled. In education, nearly 19,400 students from OACPS countries are currently studying in Morocco on scholarships. More than 40,220 graduates have already been trained.

On food security, he said Morocco supplies fertilizers to Caribbean countries each year. In Africa alone, around 200,000 tonnes were donated in 2022, with another 364,000 tonnes sold at preferential prices.

The chief of Moroccan diplomacy also referred to large-scale projects led by the King, including the Atlantic African Gas Pipeline, described as a link connecting 13 countries from West to North Africa, and an initiative to give Sahel countries access to the Atlantic Ocean.

He said these projects aim to turn geographic constraints into economic opportunities.

Bourita outlined three pillars guiding Morocco’s cooperation. Developing local potential, building tailored partnerships and focusing on human impact and sustainability.

He also called for the OACPS to act as a collective voice in shaping a more balanced global order, with fair climate governance and stronger economic security.

Morocco, he said, remains ready to share its experience and work closely with its partners in building a more interconnected and multipolar world.

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