First Independent Mena Newspaper
The Global Innovation Index 2016 has been released, with Morocco climbing six places from 78th (2014) to 72th in a ranking of 128 surveyed countries. The report, published by the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), has swiftly become a widely used metric for assessing the state of innovation in various countries. In gaining […]
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari comment saying that his country has suddenly became a poor country, resounded in Algiers as an alarm bell on the repercussions of the plummeting oil prices. Like Algeria, Nigeria depends on oil whose prices crashed to 37 dollars a barrel, and in the best cases oscillate between 40 dollars and 45 […]
Italy’s defense ministry and defense industry giant Leonardo-Finmeccanica signed this week an agreement to set up a military helicopters manufacturing plant near Setif in eastern Algeria. The factory will produce multipurpose light and medium Augusta West Helicopters that are used for transport, evacuation operations and surveillance, the Italian defense ministry said in a statement. The […]
Tunisian authorities are mulling plans to attract more Chinese companies and to that end, the state will create a free trade zone at Tabarka, a coastal city in northwestern Tunisia, Trade Minister Mohsen Hassen told the media on Wednesday. The free zone to pop up soon will be solely created for the Chinese companies targeting […]
India has openly voiced support for Morocco’s return to the African Union, a decision, which cements longstanding ties between the two countries, the Times of India reported. “India welcomes Morocco’s initiative to re-join the African Union. India enjoys close relationship with all African nations, including Morocco,” spokesperson for the Indian Foreign Ministry said, describing the […]
Algeria and other OPEC members whose budget took a toll on the backdrop of the oil price plunge are expected to push for a production freeze during an OPEC informal meeting scheduled for late September in Algiers. OPEC has lined up an informal meeting on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum in Algeria in […]
Algeria is reinforcing its land forces with the acquisition of 67 T-90 tanks from its traditional arms supplier, Russia, a purchase that many observers see as a response to the Moroccan order of 200 US Abrams tanks. Part of a 200 T-90 order concluded in 2014, the delivery of the 67 tanks took place in […]
Russia is set to expand its share in the arms markets by increasing sales to the North African states of Morocco and Tunisia besides its largest client in the region, Algeria, at a regional context marked by a surge of terrorist activities. “Military cooperation between Russia and Muslim countries, especially in North Africa, is building up. Morocco, […]
Algeria is Morocco’s first customer and supplier in Africa, despite the stalemate in political and diplomatic ties between the Maghreb’s two populous countries, which remain at loggerheads concerning a range of regional issues. A study issued by the OCP Policy Center, a policy oriented think tank based in Rabat, surprisingly showed that Algeria is Morocco’s […]
The United Nations is preparing a formal proposal to reinvigorate talks on settling the decades-old regional conflict over the Saharan provinces, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said. The spokesperson said in a briefing that the UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy for the Sahara Christopher Ross made a formal proposal to the parties […]