First Independent Mena Newspaper
Morocco has emerged as the major winner from the competition engaged between the United States and China for control of the supply chain of critical minerals, used in clean energy transition and electric vehicle (EV) batteries, says the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies. In August 2022, the U.S. passed the Inflation Reduction Act […]
Algeria’s boycott of all Moroccan ports has backfired as the country backpedals by excluding fresh produce and meat from the decision. Last month, Algeria asked its banks to stop financing any import operation of goods transiting through Moroccan ports. The decision to exclude perishable products and meat came as the Algerian market felt the detrimental […]
Trade corridors between Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and between the latter and Kenya have been highlighted as the key links that will drive trade within the East African region by the year 2035. Increased infrastructure interconnectivity by the African states is widely seen as the key driver that will contribute to the […]
Many African smallholder coffee farmers are now finding their main source of income in jeopardy after the European Union announced its plan to outlaw products sourced from deforested areas, which, as critics point out, could penalize so-called smallholder coffee farmers in Africa. In 2023, the EU established mandatory rules, known as EUDR, for companies dealing […]
US tech giant Meta has faced mounting legal troubles in East Africa, including in Ethiopia where its subsidiary Facebook has been accused of contributing to violence during the brutal two-year conflict in the country’s northern Tigray region, and in Kenya where Meta has reportedly faced several lawsuits by local Facebook content moderators. In Ethiopia, Many […]
The European Union has announced its plans to launch a naval mission in the Red Sea by mid-February aiming to protect commercial vessels against Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks which are hampering international trade and driving prices up. It’s a purely defensive operation to protect ships from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the bloc’s top diplomat […]
The United Kingdom should support Morocco’s Autonomy Plan offering a workable solution to the Sahara issue, says a leading UK defense and security think-tank. The Moroccan Autonomy Plan “remains the only credible, lasting, realistic and constructive solution” to the Sahara conflict, says a report by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). Following a paralyzing impasse […]
African Countries are gathered in Marrakech from January 31 to February 2 to take part in the political meeting to promote the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) dedicated to African countries. The event is a collaborative effort initiated by Morocco and the US. The primary objective of the initiative is to encourage African countries to support […]
A delegation of permanent representatives to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) embarked Tuesday on a visit to Laayoune, to get first-hand information about the developmental strides in the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region. The delegation engaged in a series of meetings with local authorities, elected officials, and members of the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra Regional […]
Newly appointed Morocco’s ambassador to the United States, Youssef Amrani, was received Tuesday at the State Department in Washington by the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf. During this first working meeting, the two officials welcomed the excellent centuries-old and multifaceted relations between Morocco and the United States and discussed means […]