First Independent Mena Newspaper
Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine delivered a scathing address at the United Nations General Assembly, accusing France of actively undermining his country’s sovereignty through what he called a “sneaky and subversive destabilization plan.” Zeine alleged that since French troops were expelled from Niger in 2023, Paris has been “training, financing, and equipping terrorists” […]
Tunisia was flagged among four other African nations by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for prolonged delays in completing their mandatory Article IV consultations. The other African nations are: Sudan, Eritrea, Liberia, and Senegal, among 13 member states globally. Article IV consultations are annual economic assessments conducted by IMF staff to evaluate a country’s macroeconomic […]
Mauritania’s economic growth is projected to decelerate to 4.0% in 2025, down from 5.2% in 2024 and 6.5% in 2023, according to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest Article IV consultation. The slowdown is attributed primarily to a contraction in the extractive sector, which has been a key driver of recent growth. While the economy […]
Algeria’s economic foundations are showing serious cracks, including an unsustainable fiscal system, rigid economic structure, dependence on oil and mounting external vulnerabilities, the IMF warned in a new report. The budget deficit expanded to 13.9% of GDP in 2024, one of the highest in the region, the IMF said, noting that this sharp deterioration stems […]
Africa’s trade is poised to hit a record $1.5 trillion in 2025, driven by accelerating regional integration and improved infrastructure, according to projections from the IMF and Afreximbank — yet economists warn of persistent structural hurdles. With trade growth expected to average 5.1% annually through 2026 and intra-African trade expanding at 6.6% per year, the […]
Africa, home to one-third of the world’s critical mineral reserves, stands at a crossroads: remain a source of raw exports or become a central player in the global energy transition. Despite abundant resources — including cobalt, lithium, copper, and rare earth elements — Africa received just 10.4% of global mineral exploration investment in 2024, down […]
The IMF urged African and other emerging economies to develop domestic financial markets to reduce reliance on volatile external borrowing. In its April 2025 Global Financial Stability Report, the IMF warns that high real interest rates globally have made external financing more expensive and less accessible, especially for frontier markets in Africa. Tunisia was identified […]
Kenya is set to become East Africa’s largest economy by 2025, overtaking Ethiopia, according to new projections from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF forecasts Kenya’s GDP will reach $132 billion, surpassing Ethiopia’s projected $117 billion. This shift is driven by divergent economic strategies. Ethiopia’s decision to devalue its currency, the birr, by over […]
The International Monetary Fund greenlighted on Tuesday the release of $496 million for Morocco under a Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) to help the north African country address climate challenges. The new funding brings the total disbursement of the IMF under the RSF to about $1.24 billion. The IMF had approved a $1.32 billion loan […]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board completed its fourth review of Egypt’s economic reform program under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement, granting the country immediate access to approximately $1.2 billion. The approval, announced on Tuesday March 11, marks a significant step in Egypt’s ongoing efforts to stabilize and reform its economy with the […]