First Independent Mena Newspaper
Japan is intensifying its African engagement ahead of the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), with ambitious plans centered on youth employment, digital transformation, and climate resilience. The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has already deployed $2.9 billion of a pledged $5 billion private sector investment package, signaling sustained commitment despite global economic […]
Dozens of Egyptian aid trucks carrying essential humanitarian supplies began entering Gaza on Sunday, July 27th via the Karm Abu Salem crossing, Al-Qahera News reported. The convoy, which originated from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, included food, flour, and reconstruction materials. In a parallel effort, the Egyptian Red Crescent launched a major aid […]
Morocco maintained a trade surplus with Africa in 2024, though it declined significantly to 7.2 billion dirhams from 12.6 billion dirhams the previous year, according to the Foreign Exchange Office’s annual report on Morocco’s foreign trade. The deterioration stems primarily from an increased trade deficit with Egypt, which widened by 3 billion dirhams, combined with […]
Egypt’s current account deficit narrowed significantly to $13.2 billion during the first nine months of the 2024/2025 fiscal year, down from $17.1 billion a year earlier, the Central Bank of Egypt announced on Tuesday, July 22. This improvement was driven primarily by an 86.6% surge in remittances from Egyptians abroad, reaching $26.4 billion, and a […]
Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi, has affirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring a stable and sustainable supply of natural gas this summer, particularly for the electricity and industrial sectors. His remarks came during an inspection of the National Advanced Transmission and Automation Centre (NATA), as the country faces soaring electricity loads […]
Nigeria’s economy has officially grown larger — at least on paper — but the West African country still remains the continent’s fourth-largest economy, behind South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria. Following a long-awaited GDP rebasing, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revised the country’s nominal output for 2024 to ₦372.8 trillion ($243 billion), up from ₦314 […]
Egypt’s Environment Minister, Dr Yasmine Fouad, has officially resigned to assume her new post as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Egyptian cabinet confirmed on Sunday, July 20. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly accepted her resignation and appointed Local Development Minister Manal Awad to temporarily oversee the Environment portfolio alongside […]
The European Union and Morocco are negotiating a comprehensive partnership agreement focused on migration management and border control, marking a significant deepening of bilateral relations as Brussels seeks to stabilize irregular migration flows from North Africa. European Commission officials confirmed discussions model the framework on existing agreements with Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan, providing financial and […]
North Africa’s wheat import landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation, with Black Sea suppliers now controlling 75 percent of the market as European Union share plummets to 25 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest analysis. The region, comprising Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, represents 15 percent of global wheat imports. During […]
Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism has unveiled a sweeping initiative to revitalise non-traditional tourism by spotlighting its vast desert landscapes and unique natural heritage. Key attractions such as Al-Gara Cave and Umm Al-Sughair Oasis are now at the heart of new desert tourism routes, while popular one-day trips to the Siwa Oasis and nearby sites like […]