The Moroccan and the Mauritanian governments are stepping up their initiatives to boost commerce and trade between the two countries. Last week, Prime Ministers Jettou of Morocco and Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubakar participated in the 6th meeting of the Moroccan-Mauritanian high commission, ending the session with the signing of seven cooperation agreements. The meeting, although encouraging for the prospect of economic partnership in the region, further highlighted the irrelevance of the Maghreb union organization, which should have established a free-trade zone (FTZ) across the entire region long time ago. Instead, a bilateral approach has been favored by the region's nations.
The steps toward the establishment of an FTZ between Morocco and Mauritania is now on the hands of a special working group and Mauritanian businessmen will be able to enter Morocco without a visa. Meanwhile, the banking sector, led by Morocco's BMCE and Banque Populaire, has been working to establish joint operations so as to facilitate the expected trade growth between the two countries.
The Moroccans are particularly keen to develop tourism sites in Mauritania and help grow a new destination in the world's travel maps. Agriculture is also a sector of interest for the Moroccans, in particular in dealing with drought, water rationalization, and the fight against locusts. In the past, Morocco provided 3.5 million euros of aid to Mauritania for the purchase of 30 water reservoirs.
In the fisheries sector, Morocco also issued fishing licenses to Mauritanian fishermen, while earmarking some MAD 20 million to finance projects along their common borders. Among the main projects largely funded by Rabat is the 470-km road linking the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott to that country's second largest city Nouadhibou
Although nothing has been said about Mauritania new-found fortune, petroleum, Morocco is undoubtedly interested in striking deals with its southern neighbor. Morocco is an importer of oil and has been badly hit by rising oil prices. With freshly discovered oil in Mauritania, an FTZ could mean improving the sources of supply in a highly competitive market.
© The North Africa Journal 2006
