Morocco in Africa
Embassies, banks, aircraft, pipeline: the map of a return
Out of the pan-African organisation in 1984, back in 2017, Morocco rebuilt its place on the continent country by country. This story measures that return: thirty-six embassies, two banking groups in twenty countries, twenty-six air destinations, exports rising year by year, a 6,900 km pipeline still on paper, and the dated positions on the Sahara.
Loading the map…
1 / 12
GeoInsights
Morocco in Africa
For thirty-three years Morocco sat outside its own continent's organisation. Since 2017 it has returned — through diplomacy, banks, aircraft, a pipeline and trade. This story measures, figures in hand, what 'Morocco in Africa' means.
2 / 12
1984–2017: the empty chair, then the return
In 1984 the Organisation of African Unity admitted the 'Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic'; Morocco left the organisation. On 30 January 2017, in Addis Ababa, it was readmitted to the African Union that succeeded it. In between, a generation of bilateral diplomacy, country by country.
1984
Morocco leaves the OAU
After the SADR is admitted as a member.
Source : Wikipédia, « Foreign relations of Morocco » — retrait de l'OUA (1984), retour à l'Union africaine (30 janvier 2017), rupture avec l'Algérie (24 août 2021), relations avec Israël (22 décembre 2020)
January 30, 2017
Readmitted to the African Union
At the Addis Ababa summit.
3 / 12
Thirty-six embassies
Morocco's diplomatic network in Africa counts thirty-six embassies, from Nouakchott to Antananarivo, more than on any other continent. In green: the countries where Morocco is represented by an embassy.
0
African countries host a Moroccan embassy
Source : Wikipédia, « List of diplomatic missions of Morocco » — ambassades par pays
4 / 12
Banks before embassies
Two Moroccan banking groups have bought or created subsidiaries in some twenty countries, mostly in francophone West Africa: Attijariwafa bank since 2005 (Tunisia, Senegal, then Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Congo…), Bank of Africa – BMCE in seventeen countries, as far as Kenya, Uganda and Madagascar.
Source : Wikipédia, « Attijariwafa Bank » (fin 2018, Tchad 2022) et « Bank of Africa Group » (rapport annuel 2023) (2023)
▸ See the data
| Benin | 2 |
|---|---|
| Burkina Faso | 2 |
| Ivory Coast | 2 |
| Mali | 2 |
| Niger | 2 |
| Senegal | 2 |
| Togo | 2 |
| Cameroon | 1 |
| Chad | 1 |
| Republic of the Congo | 1 |
| Egypt | 1 |
| Gabon | 1 |
5 / 12
Casablanca, the gateway
The national carrier links Casablanca to twenty-six African countries. For many West and Central African capitals, the Moroccan stop is the shortest way to Europe and North America — and the densest air link between the two shores of the Sahara.
0
African countries served from Casablanca
Source : Wikipédia, « Royal Air Maroc destinations » — destinations africaines desservies
6 / 12
What Morocco sells, year by year
The columns rise from 2015 to 2023. Djibouti, almost absent in 2015, became the leading African customer in 2022: over half a billion dollars for a country of one million people — which serves as the port of neighbouring Ethiopia. Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania and Senegal follow. Sub-Saharan Africa received 2.3 billion dollars in 2023, against 1.5 in 2015 — still 5% of the country's exports.
Source : Banque mondiale, WITS — commerce de biens du Maroc par partenaire (Trade Stats) (2015–2023)
▸ See the data
| 2015 | 0,2 | 0,001 | 0,162 | 0,151 | 0,062 | 0,11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0,148 | 0,074 | 0,173 | 0,199 | 0,037 | 0,098 |
| 2017 | 0,16 | 0,031 | 0,184 | 0,179 | 0,066 | 0,092 |
| 2018 | 0,195 | 0,109 | 0,189 | 0,216 | 0,072 | 0,116 |
| 2019 | 0,182 | 0,223 | 0,194 | 0,22 | 0,07 | 0,085 |
| 2020 | 0,25 | 0,249 | 0,184 | 0,213 | 0,088 | 0,089 |
| 2021 | 0,359 | 0,257 | 0,262 | 0,311 | 0,097 | 0,144 |
| 2022 | 0,313 | 0,536 | 0,292 | 0,284 | 0,14 | 0,12 |
| 2023 | 0,47 | 0,539 | 0,323 | 0,307 | 0,136 | 0,136 |
0.00bn USD
exported to Sub-Saharan Africa in 2023 (1.54 in 2015)
Source : Banque mondiale, WITS — exportations et importations de biens du Maroc par partenaire africain, 2015–2023, USD courants (données miroir UN Comtrade)
7 / 12
And what it buys
The other way, Africa weighs little: Morocco imports mostly from Egypt (close to a billion dollars in 2023), Tunisia and South Africa. The balance with the continent is in large surplus — the opposite of its trade with Europe and China.
Source : Banque mondiale, WITS — commerce de biens du Maroc par partenaire (Trade Stats) (2023)
▸ See the data
| Egypt | 1,021 |
|---|---|
| South Africa | 0,548 |
| Tunisia | 0,31 |
| Algeria | 0,167 |
| Libya | 0,135 |
| Ivory Coast | 0,055 |
| Gabon | 0,048 |
| Nigeria | 0,038 |
| Kenya | 0,03 |
| Senegal | 0,022 |
Source : Banque mondiale, WITS — commerce de biens du Maroc par partenaire (Trade Stats) (2015–2023)
▸ See the data
| Sub-Saharan Africa | Middle East and North Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,543 | 1,302 |
| 2016 | 1,492 | 1,388 |
| 2017 | 1,793 | 1,189 |
| 2018 | 1,688 | 1,372 |
| 2019 | 1,589 | 1,544 |
| 2020 | 1,609 | 1,391 |
| 2021 | 2,2 | 1,634 |
| 2022 | 2,82 | 2,17 |
| 2023 | 2,31 | 1,943 |
8 / 12
The eastern border
Seen at night, the Algerian–Moroccan border is a dark line between two strings of lights. Closed since 1994, it hardened further on 24 August 2021, when Algiers broke off diplomatic relations. Moroccan imports from Algeria — mostly gas — fell from 784 to 64 million dollars between 2015 and 2023.
Source : Banque mondiale, WITS — commerce de biens du Maroc par partenaire (Trade Stats) (2015–2023)
▸ See the data
| 2015 | 0,784 |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0,616 |
| 2017 | 0,544 |
| 2018 | 0,742 |
| 2019 | 0,515 |
| 2020 | 0,064 |
| 2021 | 0,423 |
| 2022 | 0,649 |
| 2023 | 0,167 |
August 24, 2021
Algeria breaks off diplomatic relations
Source : Wikipédia, « Foreign relations of Morocco » — retrait de l'OUA (1984), retour à l'Union africaine (30 janvier 2017), rupture avec l'Algérie (24 août 2021), relations avec Israël (22 décembre 2020)
9 / 12
A pipeline along the coast
Announced in 2016, the Nigeria–Morocco pipeline — renamed 'African Atlantic' — is to follow the coast from Lagos to Tangier through thirteen countries, then connect to the Maghreb–Europe pipeline. An intergovernmental agreement was signed in 2026; first gas is expected in 2031. Until then, it is a line on a map.
0km
of planned length, for 30 billion m³ a year
Source : Wikipédia, « African Atlantic Gas Pipeline » (gazoduc Nigeria–Maroc) — longueur, capacité, coût, pays traversés, calendrier
2016
Announced during the royal visit to Abuja
Source : Wikipédia, « African Atlantic Gas Pipeline » (gazoduc Nigeria–Maroc) — longueur, capacité, coût, pays traversés, calendrier
2026
Intergovernmental agreement signed in Freetown
First gas expected in 2031.
10 / 12
Laayoune and Dakhla, diplomatic addresses
Since December 2019, states have opened consulates-general in Laayoune — the Comoros (Dec. 2019), Gabon (Jan. 2020), Malawi (2021) — and in Dakhla — Gambia and Guinea (Jan. 2020), Liberia (March 2020, the tenth African country to do so), Sierra Leone (2021). These openings accompany positions taken by several capitals on the Moroccan autonomy plan, listed here with their dates.
December 2020
United States: recognition of Moroccan sovereignty
Source : Wikipédia, « Western Sahara » et « Western Sahara conflict » — positions des États (2020–2025), consulats à Laâyoune et Dakhla, résolution 2797 du Conseil de sécurité (octobre 2025)
March 2022
Spain: the autonomy plan, 'most serious, realistic and credible basis'
July 2023
Israel: recognition of Moroccan sovereignty
October 2024
France: support for the autonomy plan, before the Moroccan Parliament
June 2025
United Kingdom: the plan, 'most credible, viable and pragmatic'
October 2025
Security Council, resolution 2797: the autonomy plan as a basis for negotiation
11 / 12
The map is yours
Export columns, air routes and the pipeline route are here; click a country to read its values, change the year.
12 / 12
Sources and method
Everything this story states comes from here: the data tables, the references cited and the catalogue datasets, with their licence and date.
Data
Period : 2026Licence : CC BY-SA 4.0
The route joins the capitals and major ports of the thirteen countries; it does not reproduce the project's exact, partly offshore, route.
Period : 2019–2021Licence : CC BY-SA 4.0
Markers are spread a few kilometres around each city to stay legible. Only the consulates these pages date are placed; other countries have opened some since (Liberia was, in March 2020, the tenth African country to do so). Positions are those of the cited pages.
Wikipédia, « Royal Air Maroc destinations » — pays africains desservis au départ de Casablanca
Period : 2026Licence : CC BY-SA 4.0
One arc per country served, not weighted by frequency; arcs join country label points.
Banque mondiale, WITS — commerce de biens du Maroc par partenaire (Trade Stats)
Period : 2015–2023Licence : CC BY 4.0Updated : 2026-10-06
Mostly gas and oil products, until the 2021 break.
Period : 2023Licence : CC BY-SA 4.0
Number of these two groups (Attijariwafa bank, Bank of Africa – BMCE) with a majority-owned subsidiary in the country. Banque Centrale Populaire, also present, is not counted for lack of a verified list.
References
- Banque mondiale, WITS — exportations et importations de biens du Maroc par partenaire africain, 2015–2023, USD courants (données miroir UN Comtrade) · 2026-10-06 · CC BY 4.0
- Wikipédia, « Foreign relations of Morocco » — retrait de l'OUA (1984), retour à l'Union africaine (30 janvier 2017), rupture avec l'Algérie (24 août 2021), relations avec Israël (22 décembre 2020) · 2026-10-06 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikipédia, « List of diplomatic missions of Morocco » — ambassades par pays · 2026-10-06 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikipédia, « African Atlantic Gas Pipeline » (gazoduc Nigeria–Maroc) — longueur, capacité, coût, pays traversés, calendrier · 2026-10-06 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikipédia, « Attijariwafa Bank » — pays d'implantation en Afrique (fin 2018, Tchad 2022) · 2026-10-06 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikipédia, « Bank of Africa Group » (BMCE) — filiales africaines, rapport annuel 2023 · 2026-10-06 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikipédia, « Royal Air Maroc destinations » — destinations africaines desservies · 2026-10-06 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikipédia, « Western Sahara » et « Western Sahara conflict » — positions des États (2020–2025), consulats à Laâyoune et Dakhla, résolution 2797 du Conseil de sécurité (octobre 2025) · 2026-10-06 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Natural Earth 1:50m — Admin 0 Countries (le Maroc d'un seul tenant) · 2026-10-05 · Domaine public
Methodology
Trade comes from WITS (World Bank), in current US dollars, from mirror data compiled in UN Comtrade; the 'Sub-Saharan Africa' and 'MENA' aggregates are the World Bank's, the latter including non-African countries. Diplomatic dates, the embassy network, bank subsidiaries, air destinations and pipeline characteristics come from the cited Wikipedia pages, re-read at the story's date. Arcs join country label points, not cities; the pipeline route is schematic. On the Sahara, the story reports dated official positions and places on the map only the consulates the cited pages date; it takes no position on the territory's status.
Boundaries: Natural Earth 1:50m (public domain), Morocco as a single polygon. Satellite basemap: Esri World Imagery.