France has announced that it is favouring public investment in the Sahara for French private businesses. The stated objective: to boost economic trade between the two countries. Fierce international competition appears to be shaping up in the region.
The recent announcement by Franck Riester, the French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, has generated a great deal of column inches. The majority of observers hailed this event as aan important step towards French recognition of the Moroccan Sahara. This is a first. French development finance institutions, along with public investment banks, are finally ready for action. Minister Stéphane Séjourné, during his previous visit to Rabat, had already mentioned the French contribution in several areas, such as training, renewable energy, tourism and the blue economy (marine resources).
There is therefore no longer any doubt about France’s commitment to supporting Moroccan efforts in the region.« For a good cause» is it specified. However, for the majority of more pragmatic African analysts, France simply wants to take its share of the projects already launched by Morocco in the Sahara. French groups would simply be positioning their pawns. And according to Africa IntelligenceAnd so, Paris really doesn't want to leave a clear field to Spain, Germany, or even the United States.
These somewhat bitter remarks were taken up by an Algeria which, a few months earlier, had rejoiced at Stéphane Séjourné's visit to Morocco, during which the Moroccan character of the Sahara was not explicitly mentioned. Today, the Algerian neighbour is hardly applauding the emerging geopolitical landscape. Algiers« choices have always been more »obscure". Despite Paris's attempts to restore ties, the majority of Algerian tenders concerning construction and infrastructure investments have been awarded to Turkish or Chinese companies, while on the energy front, ENI remains the major foreign company in Algeria and Italy its main European partner.
There is something new under the sun: the French economic presence in the southern provinces is already one step ahead of other Western countries. The French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Morocco currently has several regional delegations in the three regions of the Sahara: Laayoune, Sakia El Hamra, and Dakhla. All that is missing in these locations is a political and diplomatic presence. In the Kingdom's southern provinces, France is keen not to be left behind by these other countries, which are also showing a strong interest in the Sahara, such as Spain, Germany and the United States. The United States has already started to carve out a place for itself in the Sahara The US call for tenders is valued at 500,000 dollars, to support projects aimed at promoting economic growth in Dakhla and Laayoune as part of the cooperation agreement between Rabat and Washington. The objective? To develop on-site programmes focused on the activity of citizens, women, young people, people with disabilities, etc. The United States aims to develop new innovative and popular proposals in terms of local employment or business creation.
Finally, Spain and Germany are not far behind. Both already support the Moroccan autonomy plan and have, in recent years, stepped up various forms of cooperation with the Kingdom in the fields of hydrogen, industry and agriculture. The local press regularly reports on Madrid's significant involvement, having signed several cooperation agreements with Rabat, whilst Berlin increased its exports to Morocco by nearly 30 % in 2022.
Will this French gesture be enough to put the bilateral relationship back on track? That is not certain, as Morocco is expecting full and complete recognition of its sovereignty over Western Sahara. It is misinterpreted, quite logically, in Algeria. Will President Tebboune's visit to France, which has been endlessly postponed, actually take place? Has France made its choice, chosen its line, or is this a new illustration of the «at the same time» approach that has proved ineffective on the international stage?
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