First Independent Mena Newspaper
African governments need to develop robust strategies for the critical minerals sector amid global rush for the continent’s lithium and other strategically important rare metals, a recent research has found. Demand for lithium, for example, tripled from 2017 to 2022, while the critical minerals market doubled in five years, reaching US$320 billion in 2022, according […]
Marrakech hosted on Monday and Tuesday a Morocco-USA Venture Capital Forum, organized by the United States Embassy in Rabat, in collaboration with the US government initiative “Prosper Africa”. The forum, the first of its kind between the two countries on venture capital, brought together 25 of the most promising startups in the North African Kingdom. […]
Morocco’s port authority is going green. It seeks to set up five photovoltaic solar plants in the ports of Casablanca, Agadir, Jorf lasfar, Laayoune, and Boujdour. The solar plants would power the ports to reduce the carbon footprint, as part of a larger national plan that would increase the share of renewables in the electricity […]
Morocco’s harvest of three main grains, soft wheat, durum, and barley, dropped 43% to 3.12 million tons in 2024, due to a severe drought that slashes cultivated areas. The cultivated area shrunk to 2.47 million hectares, compared with 3.67 million hectares last season, the agriculture ministry said. Soft wheat harvest dropped to 1.75 million tons, […]
Managem, a Moroccan mining company, said it lowered cobalt production at its Bou Azzer mine due to falling prices, as it reports a drop in first quarter revenue. The company opted for “preserving resources” in this low prices context, it said in a statement, noting a 13% drop in first quarter revenue. Cobalt is a […]
Nigerian president Bola Tinubu said Africa’s regional bodies should set up military forces to fend off terrorism and military coups. Speaking at a recent event in Abuja dubbed the State of Democracy in Africa, Tinubu said that empowering regional blocs to have their own stand by forces would thwart military coups and act as a […]
Uganda and Kenya have expressed readiness to lease farming land to Indian firms, in a bid to attract investments, the Hindubusinessline.com reported. The Kenyan government has agreed to lease land with a condition that 20 per cent of revenue should be paid as an export tax,” the Indian media reported. Meanwhile, “Uganda agreed to provide […]
British ambassador to Morocco Simon Martin, better known by his storytelling performance in Marrakech Jemaa El Fna square, has seen his popularity plunge in the Kingdom following revelations by a UK parliament member, who accused him of blocking any progress towards the UK’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, a decision the US, African […]
Morocco’s phosphates and fertilizers giant OCP signed a deal with USAID to work on joint projects focusing on African agricultural development. The agreement was signed during a visit to University Mohammed VI Polytechnic by Samantha Power, USAID Administrator. Under the deal, the two parties will work on a project dubbed “Space to Place” that will […]
Atlantic prosperity requires structural integration between South countries and their international partners, said on Friday Morocco’s ambassador to the United States, Youssef Amrani, adding that “connectivity is the path that will take us there for sure”. The diplomat made the remarks while speaking during a high-level panel discussion held in Washington by the U.S. think […]