Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire Reaffirm Commitment to an Enduring Political Alliance

Bound by an enduring political alliance, Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire bolstered their ties at all levels to become a shining example of south-south cooperation in the continent.

The current visit by King Mohammed VI to Abidjan, which started Sunday and which coincides with the 5th AU-EU Summit (November 29-30) reflects the keen interest attached by the Monarch and the Ivorian President Alassane Dramane Ouattara to sustaining a bilateral partnership underpinned by south-south cooperation.

The visit, the fifth by King Mohammed VI to Côte d’Ivoire since President Ouattara took office in 2011, will build on the progress achieved in the previous visit in February 2017. This visit was marked by the signing of 14 cooperation agreements providing for cooperation in the fields of the military, pharmaceutical industry, road infrastructure, finance, small and medium sized enterprises, social development, techno parks, data processing, transportation and logistics.

These agreements bring to 140 the number of cooperation accords signed between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1962.

The bilateral cooperation projects are reflective of Morocco’s resolve to support the large-scale socio-economic development projects underway in Côte d’Ivoire, and its commitment to expand the scope of bilateral cooperation and share the expertise it has acquired in wealth and job generating sectors.

Since 2011, Morocco has considerably accelerated the pace of its investments in Côte d’Ivoire to top the list of foreign investors in the country. In 2015, Morocco was the first foreign investor in Côte d’Ivoire with 22% of total FDIs in the country.

Morocco was outpaced by France in 2016, but is now coming back in the race, exploring new partnership and investment opportunities.