First Independent Mena Newspaper
Morocco’s economic landscape presents a complex picture of sectoral divergence, with traditional powerhouses facing headwinds while emerging industries demonstrate robust growth, according to latest statistics from the Office des Changes and OECD analysis. The contrasting performance across key export sectors highlights both structural challenges and opportunities in the kingdom’s industrial transformation. The automotive sector, historically […]
A surge in cocoa smuggling across West Africa is undermining the economies of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the world’s top cocoa producers, amid record global prices exceeding $10,000 per ton. The illicit trade, driven by price disparities and weak enforcement, is costing both countries hundreds of millions in lost revenue and threatening the stability of […]
Chinese company Kuntai has said it will invest $13.7 million in a car carpet plant in Morocco which has become a major global player in the automotive industry. The new production site comes to enhance further Morocco’s automotive industrial eco-system. Its main target is the European market. The facility will also promote research, development, production, […]
African nations are racing against time to renegotiate trade terms with the United States, as sweeping tariffs — initially set to begin 1 August — now loom for 7 August following a last-minute executive order by President Donald Trump. Trump’s latest executive order slaps a uniform 15% tariff on most African exports — threatening industries […]
Morocco’s unemployment rate declined marginally to 12.8% in the second quarter of 2025, down 0.3 percentage points from 13.1% in the same period last year, according to the High Commission for Planning (HCP). While the improvement breaks recent upward trends, it masks deepening structural vulnerabilities in the labor market, particularly affecting youth, women, and rural […]
Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has raised the red flag following revelations of $2.1 billion in suspicious cryptocurrency transactions across West Africa in 2024, according to a study by the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA). SEC Director-General, Emomotimi Agama, speaking at the recent West Africa Compliance Summit in Cape […]
Morocco’s budget deficit remained within manageable limits during the first half of 2025, despite an increase in public spending, according to new figures released by the General Treasury of the Kingdom (TGR). As of the end of June, the deficit stood at 24.8 billion dirhams, a level consistent with the targets set in the 2025 […]
The International Monetary Fund’s 2024–2025 Executive Board report offers a nuanced view of Mauritania’s economic outlook, acknowledging strides in macroeconomic stability and reform while underlining persistent vulnerabilities. Security instability in the broader Sahel region remains a critical constraint, diverting public resources toward defense and deterring foreign investment. The fragile regional context, coupled with Mauritania’s reliance […]
Morocco’s foreign trade landscape has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade, with Asian economies- led by China, Turkey, and India- emerging as key suppliers, gradually reshaping the Kingdom’s traditional reliance on European partners. According to data from the Moroccan Exchange Office, between 2015 and 2024, China’s exports to Morocco surged by 194%, rising […]
The Trump administration’s sweeping new tariffs on African exports have triggered a wave of mixed reactions across the continent, as governments, businesses, and civil society grapple with the implications of the United States’ evolving trade posture. Under an executive order signed on July 31, tariffs ranging from 15% to 30% were imposed on 20 African […]