Morocco’s Trade with Africa Triples, Turns Deficit into Surplus Over Decade

Over the past ten years, the value of traded products has almost tripled, going from 8.3 billion dirhams to 21.6 billion dirhams, from 2009 to 2019. A structural change in these exchanges was observed from 2015 onwards, the year in which the Moroccan trade balance increased.

In 2019, a surplus of 3.7 billion dirhams was generated, compared to a deficit of 5.5 billion dirhams in 2009, not to mention that the coverage rate increased to 120.8% in 2019. As for Moroccan exports to Africa, they have experienced an average annual growth rate of 10% over ten years, i.e. at a faster pace than imports from African countries, reaching 17.9 billion dirhams in 2019, compared to 13.7 billion dirhams in 2009, i.e. an average annual growth rate of 2.7% over ten years.

The main driver of this change over the past 10 years is the diversification of Moroccan exports to Africa. Djibouti, Senegal, Mauritania, Côte d’Ivoire and Algeria account for 43.5% of the total volume of Moroccan exports to Africa in 2019. In addition to food products, Morocco also exports chemical products, agricultural and forestry products, and others to Africa.

Regarding the main developments in the importing sectors from Africa, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia account for 77% of Morocco’s purchases on the continent. However, in 2019, it was noted that, although diversified, some sectors have started to deteriorate. This is the case of the manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products, as well as the manufacture of "furniture and various industries". But the kingdom imports less coal, lignite and peat products, not to mention imports related to petroleum refining and other energy products.