First Independent Mena Newspaper
President of Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadéra has thanked King Mohammed VI for hosting a meeting highlighting the investment opportunities offered in this landlocked African country. The investment meeting, organized in Casablanca from 14 to 15 September, was marked by the presence of several Moroccan, Central African, Arab and foreign officials as well as diplomats […]
Governments and businesses in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa are grappling with sharply rising borrowing costs, a trend that poses serious risks to economic growth across Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new report by Moody’s Ratings. Over the past five years, debt servicing costs have surged in all three economies due to weak policy frameworks, […]
The Central African Republic chose Casablanca as the strategic venue to unveil its ambitious National Development Plan 2024-2028, valued at approximately 7,000 billion CFA francs ($10.7 billion). This came during an Investment Round Table dedicated to financing the Central African Republic’s National Development Plan 2024-2028. The round table, held September 14-15, 2025, transformed Morocco’s economic […]
Thunes company, a global leader in cross-border payments, has launched its real-time money transfer service in Morocco, one of the major remittance recipients in Africa. The new service enables payouts in Moroccan Dirham (MAD) and gives Thunes’ Members greater access to Morocco’s increasingly connected and digitized economy. According to the World Bank, Morocco received over […]
Africa is losing an estimated $88 billion annually through illicit financial flows (IFFs), depriving nations of vital resources for healthcare, education, and infrastructure, according to the African Union (AU). The AU and experts warn that tax evasion, money laundering, and profit-shifting by multinational corporations, often aided by weak regulations and corrupt elites, are draining the […]
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is seeking $2.61 billion annually to launch a 5,000-strong regional Standby Force aimed at combating terrorism, political instability, and transnational crime across the region. At a high-level meeting in Abuja, ECOWAS Ministers of Defense and Finance convened to finalize funding strategies for the ambitious counterterrorism initiative. A […]
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has appointed Haytham Eissa Head of the Bank’s Office in Morocco, in replacement Antoine Sallé de Chou. Mr Eissa said: “Building on the EBRD’s strong track record in Morocco, I am committed to driving even greater impact in the years ahead. We will continue to invest in […]
Morocco’s household consumption patterns reveal stark regional disparities, with five regions accounting for 74 percent of the nation’s total consumer spending in 2023, according to data released Tuesday by the High Commission for Planning (HCP). The concentration underscores persistent economic imbalances despite ongoing development initiatives. Casablanca-Settat leads overwhelmingly with 25 percent of national household final […]
Libya’s Planning Minister Mohamed Al-Zidani has underscored the importance of digital transformation in the country’s banking sector as a driver of investment confidence. Speaking at the Third Forum of Libyan Banks, held Monday, under the theme “A Digital Takeoff for Libyan Banks,” he said digitization is the product of collaboration between banks, regulators, and national […]
Abdellatif Jouahri, Governor of Bank Al-Maghrib, has been named in the list of the world’s top central bank governors in the 2025 edition of Global Finance magazine’s annual Central Banker Report Cards. Jouahri earned an “A” rating -the highest possible distinction- recognizing his continued excellence in steering Morocco’s monetary policy through complex global and domestic […]