First Independent Mena Newspaper
Morocco’s onion exports reached unprecedented levels during the 2024-2025 season, with the shipping of 64,900 tons worth $238 million after authorities lifted West African export restrictions. According to specialized platform EastFruit, this performance represents a 4.8-fold increase from the previous season and exceeds the previous 2022-2023 record by three percent. The remarkable recovery follows a […]
Africa is rapidly emerging as China’s most dynamic export market, fueled by a combination of shifting global trade dynamics, aggressive Chinese investment, and growing demand for infrastructure. As Bloomberg calculations based on China Customs data have revealed, in the first seven months of 2025 alone, Chinese exports to Africa soared 25% year-on-year to $122 billion […]
Morocco and Spain are currently engaged in direct negotiations aimed at defining their maritime boundaries in line with international law, foreign minister Nasser Bourita said. Speaking at an international seminar on maritime border delimitations, Bourita explained that the process will be conducted in full respect of Morocco’s national sovereignty, particularly in the southern provinces. He […]
TotalEnergies has decided to transfer its French-speaking customer service operations from Belgium to Morocco by end of 2025 within the frame of its delocalisation strategy to keep up with growing global business competition. The giant energy company has also informed the Liège-based call centre Ikanbi, Belgium, that it will not renew its contract set to […]
Morocco’s cereal imports declined by 11 percent during the first seven months of 2025, dropping to 5.847 million tons from 6.57 million tons in the corresponding period of 2024, according to data released by the National Federation of Cereal and Legume Traders. The reduction reflects strategic inventory management amid abundant global supplies, though structural dependency […]
Morocco’s centuries-old rotating savings system, known locally as “daret” or tontine, is undergoing a digital transformation aimed at addressing the financial exclusion affecting 53 percent of the country’s adult population. The new mobile application, developed by former French banking executives Nabil Chakir and Mourad Chokeir, seeks to modernize this informal financial practice while preserving its […]
With the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) set to expire in September, Kenya has launched last-minute negotiations with the United States to secure a bilateral trade agreement that could reshape its economic future. A high-level Kenyan delegation, led by Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui, held talks in Washington with U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson […]
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved a $200 million loan to support Morocco’s resilience efforts to mitigate the social and economic impacts of climate change. The loan is part of a co-financing programme with the World Bank, which has already committed $350 million. The funding will enable Morocco cut greenhouse emissions, carry out […]
Marrakech has reinforced its position as Morocco’s premier tourist destination, recording 5,058,516 overnight stays in classified tourist accommodation establishments during the first half of 2025, representing a 6% increase from 4,762,507 stays in the same period last year, according to the Tourism Observatory. The city’s occupancy rate reached 71% compared to 68% the previous year, […]
Morocco’s Ministry of Agriculture has completed a nationwide livestock census revealing a total of 32,832,573 head of cattle across the kingdom. The census was conducted between June 26 and August 11, 2025, as part of royal directives to reconstruct national herds following years of drought. The census documented 23,158,248 sheep (including 16,348,449 females), 7,474,172 goats […]