During back-to-back bilateral meetings with delegations from Bénin and Ghana, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Residing Abroad, Nasser Bourita, urged both nations to support the country’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara.

Bénin

The seventh session of the Morocco-Bénin Joint Cooperation Commission concluded in Cotonou on July 21 with a joint declaration in which the Republic of Bénin reiterated its unwavering support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its entire territory, including the Sahara region.

The declaration emphasized Bénin’s endorsement of the autonomy plan presented by Morocco as the only credible and realistic solution to resolve the Western Sahara dispute.

Led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of Integration of People of African Descent, Corinne Amori Brunet, the Bénin delegation welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2797, which recognizes Morocco’s autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty as the basis for a fair, lasting, and mutually acceptable settlement.

Bénin’s foreign minister announced plans to visit Dakhla soon to assess the region’s economic and social progress and explore partnership opportunities. Both sides agreed that the next session of the joint cooperation commission would be held in Dakhla itself.

Ghana

Morocco’s foreign minister also participated in the second session of the Morocco-Ghana Joint Cooperation Commission, where Ghana aligned with the growing international momentum recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara and supporting the Moroccan autonomy plan. This plan is seen as the most realistic path to ending a nearly half-century-old conflict.

Ghana’s position was formalized in a joint communiqué issued at the conclusion of the Morocco-Ghana Joint Commission session. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, made this clear during his meeting with Morocco’s foreign minister, Nasser Bourita.

Recall that in January 2025, Ghana officially withdrew its support for the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and has since taken a definitive stance in favor of Morocco’s autonomy plan, which it considers the only realistic and sustainable basis for resolving the conflict.

This shift in Ghana’s position—once linked to the Polisario Front—confirms the overwhelming support from African nations for Morocco’s proposal, now backed by 116 countries, representing over 60% of UN member states.

Ghana also reaffirmed its support for UN Security Council Resolution 2797, which fully backs the UN Secretary-General and his personal envoy in facilitating negotiations based on Morocco’s autonomy proposal to achieve a just, durable, and mutually acceptable settlement.

Bourita’s visit to Accra also breathed new life into bilateral relations between Morocco and Ghana. Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation in key sectors such as banking, housing, infrastructure, renewable energy, logistics, digital economy, mining, hydrocarbons, and agriculture.

Economically, the two ministers agreed to promote trade missions, business meetings, and sector-specific trade fairs to boost trade exchanges and strengthen the balance of payments. They also announced the creation of a Morocco-Ghana Economic and Investment Forum, to be held periodically with alternating host cities between the two nations.

Food security emerged as another pillar of this partnership. In this regard, fertilizers from the Moroccan OCP Group will help improve cocoa crop yields in Ghana and bolster the country’s agricultural production, particularly amid heavy reliance on food imports, valued at around $3 billion annually.

For its part, Ghana reiterated its support for Morocco’s Atlantic Initiative, aimed at facilitating landlocked Sahel countries’ access to international markets via the Atlantic Ocean. Accra also remains engaged in the strategic Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline project.