Economic Divide Widens as Morocco Advances, Algeria Stagnates

While Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, is moving forward on the path of development, Algeria is regressing on almost all fronts, notes the magazine Jeune Afrique, adding that unlike Rabat, which has managed to maintain its political stability, attract foreign investment and strengthen its bilateral cooperation with countries like the United States and Israel, Algiers has become a champion in terms of violations of public freedoms and concentrates its efforts solely on the hydrocarbon sector.

The magazine mentions the possibility for the two countries to sign strategic partnerships, highlighting a potentially beneficial cooperation between the Moroccan Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) and the Algerian Sonatrach, which could promote global fertilizer production and strengthen the position of the two countries on international markets, particularly in India, China and Brazil. It also cites possibilities for economic cooperation in areas such as agriculture, knowing that Morocco produces cereals, olives as well as fruits and vegetables that Algeria needs to meet its growing food needs.

But such a rapprochement between Morocco and Algeria could remain a pious wish, the magazine indicates, noting, instead of these development partnerships, an increase in military spending of 7% for Morocco and 10% for Algeria in 2025, proof of the persistence of political tensions between Rabat and Algiers. The two neighboring countries are also advised to bury the hatchet, for the happiness of their respective populations, the economic development of the Maghreb and the African continent.