First Independent Mena Newspaper
Morocco’s trade deficit deepened significantly in the first seven months of 2025, reaching 194.9 billion dirhams, up 15.9% from 168.2 billion dirhams recorded during the same period in 2024. This came on the back of a sharp increase in imports, which rose by 8.8% to 469.7 billion dirhams, while exports grew more modestly by 4.2%, […]
Morocco has solidified its position among Africa’s leading wealth centers with 7,500 millionaires, representing a 40 percent increase over the past decade, according to the Africa Wealth Report published recently. This growth trajectory places the kingdom third continentally, behind South Africa’s 41,100 millionaires, Egypt’s 14,800, and ahead of Nigeria’s 7,200 wealthy individuals. Casablanca remains Morocco’s […]
The 2025 Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) has once again exposed Africa’s widening governance gap, with Mauritius maintaining its lead as the continent’s best-governed country, ranking 51st globally. The CGGI evaluates 120 countries across 35 indicators, including institutional strength, policy implementation, and public accountability. Rwanda (59th) was named the world’s best-performing low-income country, while Botswana […]
Millions of children across Africa are facing a life-threatening nutrition crisis as international aid cuts and armed conflict severely disrupt food supplies, several humanitarian organizations have warned. Humanitarian organizations, including Save the Children and UNICEF, are sounding urgent alarms about the growing number of malnourished children in Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan — and besieged […]
Morocco’s industrial transformation accelerates through three flagship projects—Midparc aerospace hub, Aït Melloul’s sustainable renovation, and Tanger Tech’s mega-complex—collectively representing the kingdom’s commitment to high-value manufacturing and international competitiveness. These developments exemplify a coordinated strategy combining innovation, sustainability, and workforce development to establish Morocco as a premier industrial destination. Midparc, spanning 124 hectares near Mohammed V […]
Morocco has earmarked 11 billion dirhams ($ 1.22 billion) to support small farmers in a bid to rebuild the country’s livestock herd through 2026, agriculture minister Ahmed El Bouari said. Speaking at a joint press conference with the government spokesperson, El Bouari explained that under the program financial aid will be provided for the purchase […]
Once a peripheral actor, the North African kingdom has positioned itself as a reliable manufacturing and logistics hub, attracting sustained foreign investment and forging deep ties with global aerospace giants. Moroccan aerospace exports reached 26.4 billion dirhams ($3bn) in 2024, up 14.9% year-on-year, with assembly operations alone expanding by 23.6%. The figures mark a continuation […]
OCP Nutricrops, a subsidiary of the Moroccan state-owned phosphate group, has been awarded a $34.5 million contract to supply Bangladesh with 40,000 tons of diammonium phosphate (DAP), the most popular phosphorus fertilizer in the world, providing both essential nitrogen and phosphorus (N and P) for plant growth. The contract enhances further the presence of the […]
Morocco’s government will implement a significant increase in the parafiscal solidarity tax on insurance contracts, raising the rate from 1 percent to 1.5 percent. The amendment, scheduled for approval by decree at this Thursday’s Council meeting, aims to strengthen the nation’s disaster response capabilities following recent catastrophic events. The additional revenue will flow directly into […]
The Democratic Republic of Congo has launched an ambitious plan to reclaim monetary control by reversing decades of deep-rooted dollar dependence. Newly appointed Central Bank Governor André Wameso has placed restoring confidence in the Congolese franc (CDF) at the heart of his mandate. Today, nearly 90% of Congo’s transactions — from mineral exports to daily […]