First Independent Mena Newspaper
The Trump administration has launched a bold new strategy to reshape U.S.-Africa relations, shifting focus from aid to aggressive commercial engagement. Announced in Abidjan on 14 May, the U.S. Commercial Diplomacy Strategy repositions diplomacy to prioritize trade, private investment, and strategic deal-making, aiming to counter China’s dominant economic presence across the continent. “From Washington we […]
The Grand Stade de Fès, in one of Morocco’s ancient capitals, is ready to shine on the continental stage. With its grand reopening scheduled for June 6, 2025, just in time for a friendly between Morocco’s Atlas Lions and Tunisia, the stadium now symbolizes Morocco’s bold ambitions for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Thirteen […]
Kenya has become a major transit hub for smuggled gold from conflict-ridden African countries, with illicit exports far exceeding official figures, according to a new SwissAid report. While the government declared only 672 kilograms of gold exports in 2023, the report estimates that over two tons — possibly far more — are illegally trafficked through […]
Morocco hosts currently 23 data centers, becoming the leading host country in Africa, said Global Finance Magazine, affirming that the Kingdom’s desire to secure its data sovereignty has also contributed to the boom of this high-tech & IT business. The North African kingdom has adapted quickly to the digital age. In 2020, the Agency for […]
In a move that has stirred political tremors across Sudan’s already fragile transition, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) has sharply criticized the newly-appointed Prime Minister Kamal Idris’s decision to dissolve the national Cabinet, calling it a flagrant breach of the Juba Peace Agreement. The dissolution, enacted just days ahead of Eid al-Adha, swept away […]
Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Musa, has proposed a bold and controversial solution to the country’s escalating insecurity: fencing the nation’s entire land borders with its four neighbors, namely Niger, Cameroon, Benin, and Chad. Speaking at a security conference in Abuja on Tuesday (3 June), Musa said the porous borders have allowed armed […]
Gambia’s President Adama Barrow has sent a written message to King Mohammed VI. The message was handed over by Gambia’s foreign minister Mamadou Tangara to his Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita during a meeting held Tuesday in Rabat. In a press statement, Mr. Tangara stressed the importance of holding regular consultations between the two countries on […]
CRC Evans (CRCE), a leader in welding, welding technology, and coating services, has won a major contract renewal to provide project management and pipeline welding services for a transformational water pipeline project in Morocco. State-owned OCP Group is constructing a 219-km water pipeline to transport desalinated water from its facilities in Jorf Lasfar on the […]
The Malian army successfully repelled a jihadist assault on its military camp in Timbuktu on Monday (2 June), just one day after a deadly attack in Boulkessi left at least 30 soldiers dead. According to the Malian Armed Forces, 13 attackers were “neutralized” during the attempted infiltration of the Timbuktu camp. Witnesses reported a car […]
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has announced that the majority of his $200 billion fortune will be spent over the next two decades on transforming health and education across Africa. Speaking at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Gates called for bold investments in human potential as the key to unlocking prosperity across the continent. […]