The Algerian government has resorted again to the printing press to inject in the market over 4,000 billion dinars, the equivalent of 20% of the country’s GDP, to deal with the 2018 budget deficit. The situation is likely to get worse in 2019, as the outlook for oil prices is rather pessimistic. Since 2014, economic […]
Business
Tunisia’s 2019 Budget: No New Taxes to Buy Social Peace
The Tunisian parliament approved earlier this week the 2019 budget, which does not provide for any new taxes on individuals in a move to buy social peace. Earlier this year, People had taken to the streets to protest against the government’s austerity measures. The protests broke out after activists and politicians denounced increases in VAT […]
EP Acknowledges Positive Impact of Tariff Preferences on Sahara Provinces
The European Parliament has acknowledged the positive impact that tariff preferences granted to agricultural and fisheries products from the Sahara have on these Southern provinces. “The tariff preferences enjoyed by the territory between 2013 and 2016 had a positive impact on the agricultural and fisheries sector, investment in infrastructure, health and education. The non-application of […]
WestMed: Morocco Appointed Co-chair of Steering Committee for 2019
Morocco took over from Algeria as co-chair, with France, for the year 2019, of the Steering Committee of the ministerial conference on the initiative for sustainable development of the blue economy in the western Mediterranean, known as the WestMed Initiative. At the ministerial meeting convened in Algiers on December 3-4, Morocco has been officially designated, […]
Ahmed Réda Chami at the Helm of Morocco’s CESE
Ahmed Réda Chami, Morocco’s current Ambassador to the European Union, has been appointed head of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE). King Mohammed VI appointed Ahmed Réda Chami to the position this Monday at a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Rabat. During the ceremony, the Sovereign emphasized the role and importance of the […]
U.S. State Department Approves Sale to Morocco of 162 Upgraded Abrams Tanks
The U.S. State Department has approved the sale to Morocco of 162 enhanced Abrams tanks for an estimated cost of $1.259 billion, says the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency. This military sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security and capacity of a major Non-NATO […]
Mauritania Launches Online Investment Guide Targeting Investors
The online investment guide (iGuide) to Mauritania was officially launched in Nouakchott last week. Designed to provide intelligible, reliable and up-to-date information on the relevant laws, regulations, costs and opportunities, this investment promotion tool is now ready to serve the national and global investment community, reported the UN Economic Commission for Africa. The website covers […]
Morocco’s King Presses Govt to Redraft Vocational Training Program; Speed up Industrial Plan of Souss-Massa Region
King Mohammed VI urged on Thursday the Government to refine the draft program on vocational training overhaul and to speed up the implementation of the industrial plan of Souss-Massa region. At a working session chaired by the Sovereign in Rabat to follow up the measures and actions taken to modernize the sector of vocational education, […]
EU Council Adopts Morocco-EU Fisheries Agreement
The Council of the European Union adopted Thursday (Nov.29) in Brussels the new fisheries agreement with Morocco, European sources said. The council’s move comes just one day after the Committee of Permanent Representatives in the EU, known by its French acronym COREPER, approved the new fisheries agreement. The agreement needs to be ratified by the […]
Morocco: FDI Increases, Trade Deficit Deepens
The indicators of Moroccan economy showed a positive evolution in 2018. Thus foreign direct investments (FDI) amounted to 30.2 billion dirhams at the end of the first ten months of the current year, compared to 21.3 billion at the end of October 2017. However, the trade deficit is worsening. According to the Exchange Office (Office […]









