First Independent Mena Newspaper
The World Bank has extended Morocco a $160 million loan designed to support reforms in Morocco’s business environment to spur competitiveness and boost growth and job creation in an increasingly competitive global economy. The First Economic Competitiveness Development Policy Loan approved this week by the World Bank will improve transparency and accountability in investment procedures […]
Chakib Benmoussa, a brilliant businessman, skilled technician and smart politician has been appointed Morocco’s ambassador to Paris, a position that remained vacant since October 2011. The former Minister of the Interior will also represent the North African Country to Andorra and Monaco. The rumour about his appointment to the position has been circulating for months […]
Morocco, which is determined to preserve the historic monuments and buildings in the ancient city of Fes, has launched this week a new program providing for the rehabilitation of some 27 monuments, including five medersas (residential colleges for Islamic scholars), four Borjs (tours) three Foundouks (hostels), three tanning factories, two walls, two bridges and eight […]
Long before the advent of the Arab Spring, the region was boiling as people in most of the countries of the region were denied basic social and economic rights: Unhealthy housing, below standards education, inaccessible health care, ramping unemployment etc. However hard the situation was, people seemed accommodating with their daily hardships, thanking God for […]
In a bid to boost its tourism industry, Egypt has come up with the plan of exempting neighboring countries in the North African region from visa procedures when they are entering the country as tourists. It is being reported that only Libya, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria are part of the exempted countries that will no […]
A synagogue has been refurbished and inaugurated by a Head of a government. This is no news, if the event is taking place somewhere in Europe, the Americas or inside Israel. But when the synagogue is located inside the walls of the spiritual capital of an Islamic State, when it is dedicated, after having been […]
Longreach oil and gas limited, an independent oil and gas company holding exploration and near term development licences in Morocco, announced earlier this week that it has completed its 2D seismic program on the operated Sidi Moktar Licence, near Marrakesh, onshore Morocco. The program was completed according to the scheduled deadlines and budget, the company […]
Doing business in North Africa seems to be very challenging and still largely for the intrepid. The World Bank’s annual survey ‘Doing Business’ provides data on the relative easiness (or difficulty) of running a business around the world. A high ranking on the ease of doing business index means the regulatory environment is more conducive […]
In the context of the Arab Spring, the use of the term “Islamism” is very common. The new political elites throughout the North Africa, commonly referred to as the “Islamists”, often talk of replacing the old and more or less authoritarian secular regimes in the Middle East. Journalists also use the term quite excessively and […]
Hamid Chabat, the Secretary General of the Istiqlal Party, has been threatening for months now to withdraw from the coalition government, led by Abdelilah Benkiran’s Party for Justice and Development (PJD), if his repeated calls for a cabinet reshuffle were not heeded. Likewise, he has not missed any opportunity to lash out at the head […]