First Independent Mena Newspaper
The Moroccan government adopted a decree canceling the value-added tax on agriculture inputs in a bid to lower food prices. The measure is in line with government efforts to curb inflation for farm produce after food inflation soared 20.1% in February. The VAT exemption covers production equipment and other products used to maintain plants in […]
US Vice President Kamala Harris arrived Sunday (26 March) in Ghana for the start of a weeklong visit to Africa intended to deepen her country’s relationships amid global competition over the continent’s future. “I’m very excited about the future of Africa,” Harris said and added that she wanted to promote economic growth and food security […]
Morocco’s central bank and the Moroccan government are pursuing policies that are triggering opposite impacts on inflation. As the central bank tightens its monetary policy by raising the key interest rate for the third time in a row to 3%, the government continues its expansive budgetary policy in line with its goals to spur private […]
There is an urgent need for global action to address the fertilizer crisis, most importantly by keeping the fertilizer market open to meet global demand and to avoid a food availability crisis, says a latest study issued by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on 14 November. The […]
This year’s African Investment Forum (AIF), the continent’s premier investment platform, attracted a record $63.8bn in investment pledges for infrastructure projects, but experts warn of historically low success rates in bringing projects into fruition. The vast networking event brings together African entrepreneurs, decision-makers, bankers. In 72 hours, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and its partners […]
The overwhelming majority of Colombian senators are standing united against leftist President Gustavo Petro, challenging his decision to restore ties with self-proclaimed separatist entity “SADR”, which is armed, funded and hosted by Algerian junta. In a joint statement adopted Tuesday, 62 senators, out of 108 members of the Parliament lower house, backed the decision of […]
Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic activity is expected to slow significantly in 2022 and remain relatively modest in 2023 and looking ahead, the outlook remains highly uncertain, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in its latest Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa. A downturn in advanced economies and emerging markets, tighter financial conditions, and volatile commodity prices, […]
Morocco’s central bank has hiked its key rates by 50 basis points to 2% to tame a soaring inflation, but this measure alone is not enough to tackle inflation according to central bank governor Abdellatif Jouahri. “The job of the central bank is monetary policy but growth is the job of the government,” he told […]
The next 12-18 months will be “very difficult” for African banks as widespread inflation, currency devaluations and interest-rate hikes sweep the region, a senior director of credit ratings agency Fitch said on Wednesday (21 September). African economies have struggled over the last year in the face of external forces including lingering effects from the COVID-19 […]
Lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war pose huge challenges to the continent, a recent African Economic Outlook report by the African Development Bank (ADB) concluded. As the war in Ukraine and coronavirus pandemic continue to bite, pushing millions of Africans into extreme poverty, locals are hoping initiatives by the ADB and […]