Ghana’s Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has arrived in Morocco on a three-day working visit aimed at deepening bilateral trade and attracting investment across key industrial sectors, as Accra intensifies its trade diplomacy ahead of a broader industrialisation push.
The visit followed recent bilateral meetings held on the sidelines of a World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Cameroon, with both sides expressing a desire to deepen ties, particularly in agribusiness and investment.
Ofosu-Adjare held talks with Karim Zidane, Morocco’s minister of investments, convergence and public policy evaluation, with discussions centering on opportunities in the automobile and agro-processing sectors. The minister highlighted Ghana’s flagship 24-hour economy programme and recent revisions to investment legislation under the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) as evidence of the country’s improving environment for foreign capital. She also called for the reduction of non-tariff barriers to facilitate smoother trade flows and commended Morocco’s role in advancing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
In a separate meeting in Rabat, Ofosu-Adjare engaged Omar Hejira, Morocco’s Secretary of State for Foreign Trade. Hejira said the talks focused on increasing trade volumes and exploring economic and industrial synergies between the two countries.
A focal point of the conversations was AfCFTA, seen by both sides as a vital framework for stimulating intra-African trade and creating broader economic collaboration across the continent.
Moroccan officials pointed to growing bilateral engagement since King Mohammed VI’s February 2017 visit to Accra as a foundation for current cooperation. During that three-day working visit, the leaders signed 27 bilateral agreements spanning agriculture, trade and industry, energy, foreign affairs and education, alongside cooperation agreements between 20 private sector organisations. Moroccan officials also raised concerns about a trade imbalance, urging Ghana to increase export volumes to Morocco, and proposed the organisation of a joint business and investment forum in Accra.
Both sides agreed to fast-track the forum to boost private sector collaboration, with Morocco’s Secretary of State also outlining the country’s growth in renewable energy, port infrastructure, finance and pharmaceuticals as areas ripe for partnership.
Ofosu-Adjare’s working visit continues through May 6 and includes further meetings with government officials and private sector representatives. She is accompanied by senior officials from the trade ministry and the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA).
The engagement forms part of Ghana’s wider effort to use trade diplomacy as a vehicle for industrial expansion and stronger positioning within regional and continental markets under AfCFTA.
