Cooperation: Morocco and Senegal seal a new strategic level

The Moroccan capital, Rabat, hosted on Monday January 26 the 15th session of the Large Joint Moroccan-Senegalese Cooperation Commission, marked by the signing of numerous agreements intended to strengthen and diversify the partnership between the two countries. The work was co-chaired by the head of the Moroccan government, Aziz Akhannouch, and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko.

This session made it possible to achieve a significant strengthening of bilateral cooperation, through several partnership agreements, memorandums of understanding and protocols covering strategic sectors such as diplomacy, youth, transport, infrastructure, the digital economy, higher education, agriculture, industry, professional training and ports.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries, Nasser Bourita and Cheikh Niang, signed the joint communiqué sanctioning the work of the commission, as well as several legal instruments, including a memorandum on consular consultations, an agreement on digital cooperation, conventions in the fields of infrastructure, road safety and professional training, as well as a framework agreement relating to scholarships and the sharing of expertise.

In the higher education sector, an application program for the period 2026-2028 was signed between the two ministers in charge of the department. Industry and trade were also the subject of agreements relating to the development of SMEs, industrial infrastructure and standardization. In agriculture, the two parties have concluded agreements relating to agricultural production, animal sectors, animal health and food safety, as well as the control of fishing and aquaculture products.

Port cooperation was strengthened by the signing of a partnership agreement between the National Ports Agency of Morocco and the Autonomous Port of Dakar. The final minutes of the work were initialed by Aziz Akhannouch and Ousmane Sonko, confirming the common political will to raise bilateral relations to a higher level.

In their speeches, the two heads of government recalled the historical, human and spiritual depth of relations between Morocco and Senegal. Aziz Akhannouch underlined the convergence of views on regional, economic and security issues, while reaffirming the importance of the structuring projects carried out by the Kingdom towards the Sahel and Atlantic Africa.

For his part, Ousmane Sonko reaffirmed Senegal’s commitment to strengthening and expanding cooperation with Morocco, in the mutual interest of both peoples. He insisted on the need to translate this dynamic into a clear and operational roadmap, while putting into perspective the tensions observed during the CAN-2025 final, which he described as “emotional excesses linked to sporting fervor”.

On the sidelines of this meeting, the Senegalese Prime Minister visited the OCP industrial complex in Benguerir, while a meeting between Moroccan and Senegalese economic operators is planned in Casablanca. Rabat and Dakar are thus displaying their ambition to transform a historic relationship into a real strategic lever for sustainable cooperation.