Liberia, Morocco Sign Agreement to Boost Energy Cooperation

Morocco continues to strengthen its continental partnerships with other African nations after it agreed to boost energy ties with Liberia in an agreement signed last week. 

Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita met with his Liberian counterpart Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah to formally sign the deal, according to sources familiar with the meeting. With this new bilateral deal, both countries plan to exchange “multi-sectoral cooperation” in the energy field.  

The agreement between the two nations will “enable the two countries to consolidate their relationship” in the energy sector and open the door for investors. 

Liberia’s deadly civil war, which ended in 2003 but left large swathes of the country’s infrastructure destroyed, resulted in the country having one of the worst electricity access rates in the world. According to USAID, less than 2% of Liberians currently have access to a steady electrical supply. In the capital, Monrovia, the percentage of citizens with electrical access is a mere 6.7%. 

Despite this, Liberia has set ambitious goals for the near future. The Liberian government plans to connect at least 70% of the capital and 35% of the rest of the country to a consistent power supply. 

Morocco’s energy goals have been more focused on moving the country towards green energy production. Morocco invested approximately US$6 billion earlier this year in various renewable energy projects within the country. The Moroccan government began a multitude of renewable energy projects that some say put Morocco “among the leaders” in the renewable energy field. 

The situation is different with Liberia. The country does not have developed oil and gas exploration industries, and the majority of power is generated through the burning of biomass, such as wood and charcoal. 

But the wide-scale introduction of sustainable renewable energy sources into the country through investments made from Morocco’s blossoming renewable energy sector could be exactly what Liberia needs to propel its energy grid into the modern era. 

Recent surveys have also located large amounts of gold, diamond, iron, and bauxite, which have the potential of spurring investors into developing the country’s energy infrastructure and providing much-needed aid to the Liberian people.