First Independent Mena Newspaper
At least 14 countries will trade freely within East, Central, and Southern Africa from this Thursday, July 25, with the coming into force of a Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) Agreement, which flattens the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) into a […]
The Group of Friends on Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Development, co-chaired by Morocco and the United States, organized, in New York, a high-level event on the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence (AI) to support sustainable development in Africa. The event, titled “AI: An exponential opportunity for sustainable development in Africa”, was held Monday at the […]
Nigerian authorities fined Meta, the mother company of Facebook, whatsApp and Instagram, 220 million dollars for breaching consumer and data protection laws as well as abusing its position as market leader. The fine was announced following a 34-month investigation by Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). Meta is also accused of sharing Nigerians’ […]
Stellantis, one of the world’s leading automakers, has announced a two-phase acquisition of Sopriam, a subsidiary of the Al Mada group. The initial phase involves immediate majority control, followed by the full acquisition of 100% of shares by early 2025. Stellantis will now directly handle the import and distribution of its Peugeot, Citroën, and DS […]
King Mohammed VI has spurred a national program that puts the promotion and generalization of social safety nets at the heart of the country’s development model and as a lever of social cohesion. Under orders from the King, the government has gradually rolled out a social protection program that includes mandatory health coverage for all […]
Plans for a pan-African car industry, both for production and a growing consumer market, are gradually moving beyond the talking stage and into the realms of action, with more than half of the continent’s nations likely to take part in the African-wide automotive development. After the European car industry moved much of its production into […]
Authorities in South Kivu province in eastern DRC ordered a suspension of all mining activities, arguing that the sector needed order, in a decision that will hit the local economy in the already conflict-stricken and impoverished area. “All companies, businesses, and cooperatives are required to leave the sites and operating locations within 72 hours,” the […]
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) warned of a bean disease that has infected 81% of the cocoa harvest in Western North, Ghana’s third largest cocoa producing region. The news came as Ghana, the second largest cocoa producer, reported a below average harvest this year at 429,323 tons, as climate change induced heat waves adds to […]
Twenty-five years ago, no one would have imagined that Morocco’s top exports would be cars. Morocco’s GDP, thanks to the King’s far-sighted approach, has more than doubled in a tough environment reaching some $130 billion, thanks to different economic policies spurred by the King. Industry has helped Morocco reduce dependence on the climate-vulnerable farming sector. […]
As finance ministers and central bank governors of the G20 convene in Brazil this week (25-26 July), high on the agenda will be the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) strategy to tackle Africa’s debt challenges, particularly the critical need for sustainable debt management and economic reforms. The IMF heads to Brazil G20 on a mission to […]