First Independent Mena Newspaper
Global spending on energy is expected to reach $3.3 trillion in 2025, marking an all-time high, according to the World Energy Investment 2025 report released earlier this week by the International Energy Agency (IEA). This figure represents a 10% rise compared to 2024. Out of this total, around $2.2 trillion, or 67%, will go toward […]
The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has called on African governments to tap into over $4 trillion in untapped domestic capital to bridge the continent’s widening infrastructure gap. In its 2025 State of Africa’s Infrastructure report, the AFC emphasized that pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, commercial banks, and reserves collectively hold the capital needed to transform […]
In a bold financial maneuver, Libya’s eastern-based authorities have fast-tracked the approval of a $12.7 billion infrastructure budget—framed as a national development drive, but widely viewed by analysts as a calculated step to consolidate control over oil revenue streams. Overseen by Belgassim Haftar, son of military strongman Khalifa Haftar, the Development and Reconstruction Fund is […]
The Moroccan economy is expected to remain solid in 2025 and 2026, as weather conditions alleviate the drought that severely affected the agricultural sector in 2023 and 2024, according to the forecast of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The country’s GDP is projected to reach 3.8% in both 2025 and 2026, driven […]
In a stern and deliberate rebuke, Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah has called on House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Aqila Saleh to disclose the fate of over 100 billion Libyan dinars reportedly expended outside the confines of the official State budget over the last two years. Speaking during a high-level meeting with members of […]
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has announced that the majority of his $200 billion fortune will be spent over the next two decades on transforming health and education across Africa. Speaking at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Gates called for bold investments in human potential as the key to unlocking prosperity across the continent. […]
Algeria is grappling with a deepening currency crisis as the Algerian dinar continues its relentless slide, raising alarm over the country’s economic stability, inflationary pressures, and the sustainability of state finances. Since late 2019, the dinar has lost significant value against the euro, falling from 204 dinars per euro in December 2019 to over 260 […]
In a dramatic pivot away from traditional regional alliances, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have deepened their collaboration under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), aiming to reclaim sovereignty and reshape their economic future, including through the planned launch of common currency. Born out of frustration with ECOWAS and external pressures, the AES is fast-tracking […]
Morocco has officially dismantled the near-monopoly held by le Centre Monétique Interbancaire (CMI) over electronic payment terminals, marking a major shift in the country’s digital economy and financial sector. The reform, which took effect on May 1, 2025, allows banks, fintech firms, and independent payment providers to directly offer point-of-sale (POS) services to merchants, a […]
King Mohammed VI has outlined a roadmap for achieving a comprehensive and sustainable development in Africa, based on four key pillars, namely changing the model used for development financing; creating an institutional, economic, and social environment conducive to development; increasing and stimulating intra-African trade; and increasing the value of the continent’s abundant natural resources. These […]