The government has endorsed Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara.

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Ghana joins Nigeria in partnering with Morocco on a pipeline that would aid inland African countries in accessing global trade routes through the Atlantic Ocean.

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The Moroccan intention to grant autonomy to the region has gained strong support and momentum after the United States (U.S.) acknowledged Morocco’s control over the disputed Western Sahara territory in 2020, and France did the same in July last year.

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The unresolved conflict, which began years ago, is between Morocco and the Polisario Front, a group supported by Algeria.

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The Polisario Front seeks to establish an independent country in Western Sahara, and Morocco wants it as part of its national territory.

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While engaging the Moroccan Foreign Minister, Mr Ablakwa noted that Ghana considers the autonomy plan "as the only realistic and sustainable basis to a mutually agreed solution to the issue."

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He added that, “The UN should remain the exclusive framework for finding a solution to the issue.”Also, Kenya and the UK in recent times have echoed the same sentiments as Ghana’s Foreign Minister, highlighting growing global support for Morocco’s autonomy plan.

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In a related development, Ghana and Morocco have also agreed to cooperate on food security, a move supported by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, especially as Morocco is home to fertilisers and phosphate giant OCP.

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He emphasised that these fertilisers would enhance Ghana’s cocoa farming and curb “dependence on food imports, worth $3 billion annually”.

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The Ghanaian government has signed a bilateral agreement with Morocco to eliminate the need for traditional visas for Ghanaian citizens traveling to the country.

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The Foreign Minister noted that the deal was finalized on Thursday, June 5, during a two-day working visit to Morocco, following discussions with the country’s Foreign Minister, H.E. Nasser Bourita.He revealed that a streamlined online travel authorisation has replaced the previous application process for Ghanaian citizens.According to him, the latest move will grant the application within 24 hours without the need to visit the Moroccan embassy."With immediate effect, Ghanaians will no longer require traditional visas to travel to Morocco. An online authorization which will be granted within 24-hours without embassy appointments is all that’s needed," he wrote.The visa waiver to Morocco is expected to increase tourism, improve trade, and strengthen the relationship between Morocco and Ghana."With existing direct flights which would be increased following this new agreement, we expect this bilateral visa waiver policy to greatly facilitate trade, tourism and deepen people-to-people engagements between both countries.”“The borders in Africa must not be allowed to divide us — they can be bridges of connectivity. Diplomacy must make meaningful impact in the lives of the people we serve,” the sector minister wrote.

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