During consecutive bilateral meetings with delegations from Benin and Ghana, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, sought support for the country’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara.

Both nations reaffirmed their backing for Morocco’s territorial integrity and the autonomy initiative, seen as the most credible path to resolving the decades-long Western Sahara dispute.

Benin

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

Benin’s delegation, led by Foreign Minister Corinne Amori Brunet, praised the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2797, which recognizes Morocco’s autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty as a fair, durable, and mutually acceptable basis for resolving the conflict.

The minister announced plans for a soon-to-be-scheduled visit to Dakhla to assess the region’s economic and social progress and explore partnership opportunities. Both countries agreed that the next session of the joint commission will take place in Dakhla.

Ghana

Morocco’s foreign minister also participated in the second session of the Morocco-Ghana Joint Cooperation Commission, where Ghana aligned with growing international recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara and endorsed the autonomy plan as the most realistic solution to end the nearly 50-year conflict.

Ghana’s position was formalized in a joint communiqué issued after the session, with Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa emphasizing that the plan is the “only realistic and sustainable basis” for resolving the dispute.

Ghana’s shift away from its previous support for the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and toward Morocco’s autonomy proposal reflects broader African backing, with 116 countries—over 60% of UN members—now supporting the initiative.

The meeting also strengthened bilateral ties, with both countries agreeing to deepen cooperation in banking, housing, infrastructure, renewable energy, logistics, digital economy, mining, hydrocarbons, and agriculture. A Morocco-Ghana Economic and Investment Forum will be established, alternating between the two countries, to boost trade and investment.

Food security was highlighted as a key area of collaboration, with Moroccan OCP Group fertilizers expected to enhance Ghana’s cocoa production and agricultural output amid annual food import costs of around $3 billion.

Ghana also reaffirmed its support for Morocco’s Atlantic Initiative, aimed at facilitating Sahelian countries’ access to international markets via the Atlantic Ocean, and its continued participation in the Atlantic Africa Gas Pipeline project linking Nigeria to Morocco.