What margin does the Canarias REF have in Morocco’s geopolitical strategy, is the economy the executing arm of diplomacy in West Africa? None. The RUP framework will sooner or later become useless, and one only needs to see the number of free ports that Morocco has surrounded the Canary Islands with. Casablanca Finance City (CFC), the continent’s leading financial hub, has completed its second ‘CFC Tour of Africa’, consolidating an investment corridor that connects the economic intelligence of Rabat with three of the most dynamic economies in the Gulf of Guinea: Benin, Togo, and Ghana. Under the premise that ‘Africa must trust Africa’, the Moroccan delegation has launched a financial soft power offensive designed to transform Casablanca into the central node of intra-African investment.The Cotonou-Lomé axis: Industrialization and deep-water logistics The expedition, consisting of twenty leading companies in high value-added sectors—from renewable energies and health to digital technologies—has focused on structural diversification. In Benin, the delegation witnessed an economy that grew 7.5% in 2024 and that uses the Glo-Djigbé Special Economic Zone as a laboratory for its textile and pharmaceutical sectors. Benin is not just a market; it is the gateway to the 300 million consumers of ECOWAS, a critical factor for Moroccan companies seeking continental scale. For its part, Togo has positioned itself as the indispensable logistics partner. With a projected growth of 6.6% for 2025 and the title of star reformer of the subregion according to the Business Ready 2024 report, the country offers what every investor yearns for: legal security and connectivity. The visit to the Lomé Autonomous Port (PAL), the only deep-water port in the region, underscores Morocco’s intent to integrate its supply chains with countries in the African hinterland through top-notch infrastructure.Systemic integration versus external options Hicham Chaoudri, director of Institutional Affairs at CFC, has been clear in defining intra-African investment not as an alternative but as a strategic necessity. By facilitating direct access to investment agencies and local decision-makers, CFC is lowering entry barriers for its members. This tour is not an isolated event but a pillar of an offer that seeks to attract talent and global capital to Casablanca to then redistribute it towards structural projects in the south. The institutional backing from the Ministry of Industry, AMDIE, and Masen (the giant of Moroccan renewable energies) indicates that this tour is the spearhead of deeper economic integration. By bridging ecosystems, Morocco not only exports consulting or construction services but imports stability and shared growth. In a global context of fragmentation, CFC’s bet on the West African bloc reaffirms that the future of investment on the continent is being designed in the offices of Casablanca.
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