First Independent Mena Newspaper
The Egyptian government Wednesday approved temporarily a draft decree exempting travelers who bring gold from customs duties and other fees except value-added tax (VAT), reports say. The draft is applicable to semi-manufactured gold, gold prepared for currency-trade, and jewelry parts made or coated with a layer of precious metals. It is however unclear how much […]
Africa’s agribusiness sector is expected to grow to become a $1 trillion industry by 2030, participants at a recent Africa Investment Forum (AIF) have concluded, predicting that agribusiness will become a catalyst in driving the economy on the continent. Leaders of Africa’s top agribusiness companies, who shared their thoughts on the future of the industry […]
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will facilitate economic growth and development on the continent that is projected to become the world’s fastest-growing region, with six out of the ten fastest-growing economies in 2023 being African countries, according to a new report by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. The AfCFTA presents a huge opportunity for […]
The global daily value of mobile money transactions in 2022 surpassed forecasts to hit $3.45 trillion, according to a latest mobile money industry report, while in East Africa, the number of transactions grew by 18%. The report by Global Systems for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) also shows that in 2022 the total value transacted on […]
Malek Ezzahi, Tunisia’s Social Affairs Minister, indicated Monday that talks between the North African country and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are still ongoing. The North African country, according to the Minister, has been in several months of negotiations for a $1.9 billion loan from the Washington-based institution to supplement the national budget facing a […]
Officials from the Casablanca Stock exchange held meetings with investors in London to showcase the competitive advantages it offers as well as Morocco’s business climate. The bourse has a pivotal role to play in funding Moroccan enterprises and it is set to attract more companies seeking better financing opportunities, including SMEs, Casablanca Stock Exchange head […]
The Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development has granted Tunisia $52 million (KWD16 million) in form of credit facility to be used for road projects. The financing deal was signed during the 52nd annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the fund, held on the sidelines of the annual joint meetings of Arab […]
Japan will finance the construction of Cairo’s fourth metro line to the tune of $700 million. The announcement was made Sunday during a visit to Egypt by the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. This Japanese investment is one of the largest packages to support the plan to develop transportation in Egypt. The fourth phase of […]
King Mohammed VI of Morocco said Arab financial institutions should pool effort to address economic challenges in a context of geopolitical tensions and inflationary pressures while working together to fund climate action and concessionary finance in the region. To rise up to global challenges and risks to energy and food security in particular, “we clearly […]
Fitch agency has awarded Morocco ‘BB+’ rating consolidated with a stable outlook thanks to the country’s sound macroeconomic policies that has supported resilience to shocks, a favorable debt composition and a comfortable external liquidity buffer. Economic growth slowed in 2022 to 1.2% from 7.9% in 2021, as agricultural output contracted by 15% due to a […]