First Independent Mena Newspaper
President Rached Ghannouchi of the Ennahdha political party has called on the country’s National Unity Government to prioritize the “economic challenges facing Tunisia and the upcoming (municipal and local) elections” instead of the political future of a Minister or Prime Minister. Presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place in 2019 but they have […]
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed on August 1 the second review under the Precautionary and Liquidity Line (PLL) Arrangement and reaffirmed Morocco’s continued qualification for the PLL and its sound economic fundamentals. In a statement on its website, the IMF underscores Morocco’s eligibility to PLL and praises the country for […]
Morocco’s macroeconomic policies and performance remained sound, despite volatility in agricultural output and elevated external risks, says a statement issued by the International Monetary Fund. “The Moroccan authorities remain committed to important fiscal, financial and structural reforms, which should strengthen the economy’s resilience to external shocks and support higher, more inclusive growth”, adds the statement […]
As Egypt’s fiscal year for 2017-2018 will be commencing on July 1, the Finance Ministry has announced that a “social package” aimed at easing the pain of the ongoing austerity measures will be included in the budget. More than 90% of the citizens will benefit from the package through food subsidies, tax breaks and increment […]
Algeria continues to face important challenges posed by lower oil prices, says the International Monetary Fund Executive Board after concluding Article IV consultation with the North African country. Economic growth in the nonhydrocarbon sector slowed to 2.9 percent in 2016, partly under the effects of spending cuts. Inflation increased from 4.8 percent in 2015 to […]
The International Monetary Fund has reaffirmed Morocco’s continued qualification for the Precautionary and Liquidity Line (PLL) Arrangement after a first review of its executive board. The two-year PLL arrangement for Morocco in the amount of SDR 2.504 billion (about US$3.42 billion) was approved by the IMF’s Executive Board in July 2016. After completing a first […]
United Kingdom government hosted May 11 a major international conference in London, to accelerate progress on security sector reform, build on the international response to the ongoing drought and humanitarian crisis. The conference seeks also to set new international partnership needed to keep Somalia on course for increased peace and prosperity by 2020. Heads of […]
The International Monetary Fund has urged countries of the Middle East and North Africa to diversify their economies and implement policies that support jobs and productivity, like education and infrastructure reforms. Growth is slightly improving in this region, largely driven by higher oil prices and improved export prospects, said the IMF in its latest regional […]
The Tunisian economy continues to suffer from major difficulties, including high external and fiscal deficits, increasing debt, while growth is too low to reduce unemployment, says the International Monetary Fund. “Tunisia’s fiscal and external deficits reached record levels. The wage bill has climbed to one of the highest in the world, and public debt further […]
Battered by the oil price slump, the underdeveloped banking sector in Algeria sees new financing sources in Islamic finance to tap into the huge informal economy and catch up with Morocco and Tunisia, which have already allowed such participatory banks to operate. As it edges towards offering banking services to suit more religiously conservative investors, […]