First Independent Mena Newspaper
Algeria’s three‑decade journey toward joining the World Trade Organization has become a case study in strategic hesitation and economic stagnation. The committee examining Algeria’s admission to the WTO was created in 1987 and last met in 2014. This freeze reflects not just bureaucratic complexities but also indicates how Algeria is falling behind in terms of […]
Tanzania’s decision to bar foreign nationals from operating small businesses has ignited sharp backlash across East Africa, particularly from neighboring Kenya, with fears that it could fracture regional economic ties. The new directive, announced by Trade Minister Selemani Jafo, prohibits foreigners from engaging in 15 grassroots sectors such as salons, eateries, mobile money kiosks, and […]
Russia is waving a ban on Morocco’s tomatoes citing the Pepino Mosaic virus in a move that Moroccan farmers have described as a protectionist measure. Speaking to state news agency TASS, head of an agency that monitors agricultural exports claimed that Moroccan tomatoes exported from trade hub the Netherlands had the Pepino Mosaic virus and […]
The US has severely criticized Algeria’s protectionism as detrimental to trade and to the development of Algerian enterprises and US exporters alike. The US rebuke was expressed by Myron Brilliant, executive vice president and head of International Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce who was speaking to the press in Algiers. “The US chamber […]