The economic partnership between Morocco and Zambia took center stage during the inaugural session of the Joint Cooperation Commission, held on Friday in Laayoune under the co-chairmanship of the foreign ministers of the two countries.
Despite their geographical distance, Morocco and Zambia—Southern Africa's third-largest economy with a GDP of $28 billion in 2023—are committed to strengthening their economic ties, leveraging their economic complementarities and untapped potential.
The commitment to elevate the Morocco-Zambia economic partnership to its deserved level, as reiterated at the first Morocco-Zambia Joint Cooperation Commission, aligns with the repeated calls from business communities and economic operators in both countries and reflects the shared vision of the two heads of States, King Mohammed VI and President Hakainde Hichilema.
This commitment was evident from the outset, notably through the Royal Visit by HM King Mohammed VI to Zambia from February 19–23, 2017, during which no fewer than 19 government and economic partnership agreements were signed.
These agreements, spanning a wide range of sectors such as air services, investment protection, finance, insurance, education, training, tourism, agriculture, technology, industry, mining, and renewable energy, provide a robust legal framework to facilitate fruitful cooperation between the governments and private sectors of the two nations.
The economic dimension occupies a significant place in the bilateral legal framework today. Key agreements include a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a Business Council, an agreement on investment promotion and protection, and a general framework agreement on economic, scientific, technical, and cultural cooperation.
This bilateral legal arsenal was further expanded on Friday during the inaugural session in Laâyoune, which saw the signing of seven new cooperation agreements, including an institutional MoU between the Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development (AMDIE) and its Zambian counterpart.
This is a crucial legal tool, as trade volume and direct investments remain below the potential of the two countries. This gap presents an opportunity to identify complementarities and synergies to boost trade, especially within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
During this session, the two sides also signed an MoU between the Ministries of Justice of Morocco and Zambia, an MoU on higher education and scientific research, and another on tourism cooperation.
Additionally, agreements were signed on cooperation in mining, geology, and hydrocarbons, vocational training, and the provision of academic scholarships, capacity-building programs, and expertise exchanges.
The Joint Cooperation Commission concluded with the signing of a joint communiqué and the minutes of the meeting.
The first Morocco-Zambia Joint Cooperation Commission, launched under the best auspices for strengthening bilateral partnership, marked the determination of both countries to elevate their economic cooperation to match their excellent bilateral relations for the benefit of their peoples.
In this context, and building on efforts at the highest levels of both states, Morocco and Zambia are now guided by a robust Cooperation Roadmap (CR) for the 2023–2025 period, which has already facilitated significant progress toward enhancing bilateral economic cooperation at this mid-term point.
As part of this roadmap, an Economic Promotion Week for Zambia in Morocco was launched on June 21, 2024, in Rabat to showcase Zambia's economic potential across various sectors.
Several meetings were also organized in Rabat, Casablanca, and Laayoune with a Zambian economic delegation, involving public institutions, private operators, the Moroccan General Confederation of Enterprises (CGEM), and sectoral federations. These meetings aimed to foster win-win business partnerships between Moroccan and Zambian operators
