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Marrakech – Morocco has opened the door to waiving visa requirements for Beninese nationals who hold ordinary passports, a move that would ease travel between the two countries. The prospect emerged during the seventh session of the Benin-Morocco Joint Cooperation Commission, held in Cotonou on Tuesday.
Nasser Bourita, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, indicated that Rabat was prepared to examine the exemption “with all the attention required.” His remarks stopped short of a formal decision, yet they pointed to a consular opening that could simplify entry for Beninese citizens traveling for business, study, tourism, or cultural exchange.
Bourita recalled that Beninese nationals have benefited from Morocco’s e-Visa system since January 1, 2024. The kingdom developed the electronic procedure in 2023 for partner countries, and the proposed waiver would build on that arrangement rather than replace it.
Since King Mohammed VI’s visit to Cotonou in June 2004, Moroccan nationals have been exempt from visa requirements for stays in Benin of under 90 days.
A solid and deepening bilateral cooperation
The commission produced fourteen cooperation agreements alongside a signed record of the proceedings. The two governments did not disclose the full content of the instruments, though their discussions covered trade, investment, higher education, culture, the movement of people, and coordination on regional and international questions.
The Beninese delegation was led by Hugues Oscar Lokossou, Minister Delegate for Resource Mobilization and Debt Management. Corinne Amori Brunet, Benin’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Sèdami Mèdégan Fagla, Minister of Higher Education, also took part. Bourita led the Moroccan side.
On the academic front, both parties welcomed the quality of their cooperation and agreed to increase the number of training scholarships granted to Beninese students and public officials in Morocco.
Trade drew particular attention during discussions. The two countries reaffirmed their intention to expand commercial exchanges and to draw their private sectors more deeply into the partnership. Bilateral trade reached MAD 1.64 billion ($164 million) in 2025, according to the International Trade Centre (ITC).
The delegations pointed to a Moroccan economic and commercial mission held in Cotonou from July 8 to 10, which focused on small and medium-sized enterprises, and to a B2B forum on July 8 that explored investment in industrial zones, tourism, and services.
“We want to rely on Moroccan experience,” noted Eric Akouté, director general of Benin’s Agency for the Promotion of Investments and Exports (APIEX). “Morocco is also going to rely on Beninese experience in industrial zones and tourism.”
Read also: Benin Reasserts Support for Morocco’s Sahara Sovereignty, Eyes Dakhla Session
The two capitals approach the partnership with distinct aims. For Benin, the rapprochement is a means to attract more Moroccan investment across industry, construction, agriculture, and services, while diversifying its economic partnerships and building up sectors it considers strategic.
For Morocco, the cooperation forms part of a wider push to expand its economic footprint in West Africa. Rabat intends to promote its companies’ investments in Benin, to draw on its expertise in higher education and scientific research, and to consolidate its standing as a regional platform for trade, finance, and logistics.
Culture featured as well. Morocco recalled the exhibition “Arts of Benin, Yesterday and Today: From Restitution to Revelation,” held at the Mohammed VI Museum in Rabat from January to May 2023, and thanked Benin for its contribution.
The two sides also addressed the Sahara. Benin reiterated its support for Morocco’s territorial integrity, backed the Autonomy Plan as the only credible and realistic path to a settlement, and welcomed United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797, which frames that plan under Moroccan sovereignty as the basis for a resolution.
Both governments further agreed to coordinate their support for each other’s candidacies in regional and international bodies.
Benin also commended Morocco for hosting the African Ministerial Conference on the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) of child soldiers, held in Rabat on November 20, 2025.
To keep the commitments on track, the two governments agreed to establish a follow-up committee and to reactivate the sectoral mechanisms set out in their bilateral accords. The eighth session of the commission is scheduled for 2028 in Dakhla.
