King Mohammed VI of Morocco sent messages with envoys to heads of state of the West African Economic Community (ECOWAS) which the Kingdom applied to join. Earlier this month, Morocco, which has an observer status in the ECOWAS and is bound by strong relations with its member states, has officially applied to become a fully-fledged member of the grouping. Before submitting the bid to join the ECOWAS, King Mohammed VI visited several countries in the region where Morocco is one of the largest investors. Recently Morocco gave further substance to its south-south cooperation approach in the continent and sealed an agreement with Nigeria to build the Africa Atlantic Pipeline. So, Morocco’s request to join ECOWAS is the continuation of a decades-long process of fostering ties with the countries of the region.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 26, 2017 03:56 UTC