Morocco is strengthening its position as a logistics and trade hub for African markets through a new project with Kazakhstan aimed at facilitating access for Kazakh wheat to the continent.

The initiative was presented on September 14, 2026, in Astana by Morocco’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Mohammed Rachid Maaninou, as part of efforts to develop practical cooperation between the two countries in the grain and logistics sectors.

The project seeks to provide Kazakh producers and exporters with a new logistics solution enabling them to reach African markets more efficiently, leveraging Morocco’s strategic geographic position as well as its port and logistics infrastructure.

The initiative is particularly significant for Kazakhstan, which has substantial wheat production and export potential and is seeking to diversify its export destinations and strengthen its presence in new markets, particularly across Africa.

For Morocco, the project forms part of a broader strategy to consolidate its role as a link between major international producers and African markets, drawing on its strategic location, port network, logistics infrastructure and expanding trade relations across the continent.

The initiative comes against a backdrop of strong growth in economic relations between Morocco and Kazakhstan. In 2025, bilateral trade reached approximately $461.5 million, representing a 68% increase compared with the previous year.

Kazakh exports to Morocco amounted to around $434 million, with agricultural products, particularly cereals, among the key components of bilateral trade.

Cooperation in the wheat sector also took a concrete step forward in May 2025, when a 60,000-ton shipment of Kazakh wheat arrived in Morocco, demonstrating the potential for establishing regular grain trade channels between the two countries.

The two sides had previously agreed on a mechanism for the export of around 300,000 tonnes of wheat, strengthening prospects for further expansion of cooperation in the sector.

The significance of the new project lies in the fact that it is not limited to supplying the Moroccan market, but aims to use Morocco as a gateway to a much broader African market.

Kazakh wheat could therefore benefit from Morocco’s port and logistics infrastructure to reach markets in North and West Africa, at a time when the continent continues to face strong structural demand for imported cereals.

The new route offers Morocco an opportunity to strengthen its position within Africa’s food supply chains, while giving Kazakhstan an additional channel to diversify its agricultural exports and expand its commercial presence on the continent.

The project also fits into the new momentum in economic relations between Rabat and Astana, covering areas such as agriculture, trade, investment, logistics and food security.

In this context, cooperation in the grain sector represents a concrete field capable of translating the growing political and economic rapprochement between the two countries into commercial projects with an African dimension.

Ultimately, the initiative highlights Morocco’s ability to leverage its port infrastructure, logistics capabilities and geographic position to create new trade corridors between Africa and Central Asia, further consolidating the Kingdom’s role as a strategic gateway for agricultural products destined for African markets.