Browsing: Morocco

• According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the continent holds 30 per cent of the world’s mineral reserves
• Despite being endowed with these resources, the continent still lags in development partly due to colonisation and corruption
• By 2050, the African economy is expected to reach a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$29, driven by agricultural, trade, and natural resources investments
• Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa, followed by South Africa and Egypt

• The summit that will be held from Tuesday, July 19, until Friday, July 22, will focus on economic recovery post-COVID-19 pandemic
• The 2022 summit is being held under the theme “Building Forward Together” and will explore investment opportunities amid rising inflation and high cost of living
• Morocco had in 2020 been selected by the CCA Board of Directors to host the conference, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• It’s the first time Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) organised the summit on African soil

• The Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance targets accelerating the transition from fossil fuels overreliance that has made the continent reluctant, as fossil fuels drive most economies in the continent
• Green hydrogen could provide Africans with new access to cleaner energy sources, employment opportunities, public health benefits due to cleaner air, GDP creation and export revenues outside Africa
• Six African nations have formally launched the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance. The countries include South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, Namibia and Mauritania

Six African nations have formally launched the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance. The Alliance aims to make Africa a pioneer in adopting cleaner energy sources by producing green hydrogen.

The countries include South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, Namibia and Mauritania.

The countries formally launched the Alliance at the first-ever Green Hydrogen Global Assembly in Barcelona, Spain, with the support of the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, the Green Hydrogen Organisation (GH2), …

• Over the years, Morocco has been riding on its strategic position on Europe’s edge to build its success on low-cost production of low-cost goods, including textiles and food, through trade pacts with the European Union
• Automotive was among the first industries to establish itself in Morocco and has become one of its success stories. 
• Morocco’s aerospace exports, according to official estimates, increased by 21.9 per cent last year to $1.6 billion after plunging by over 30% in 2020 as a result of the global aircraft industry crisis prompted by the Covid-19 epidemic.

Over the years, Morocco has been riding on its strategic position on Europe’s edge to build its success on low-cost production of low-cost goods, including textiles and food, through trade pacts with the European Union. 

However, the emphasis has shifted to higher-value, higher-tech industries such as the automotive industry, aerospace, and pharmaceuticals, with Moroccan firms collaborating with foreign …

• Africa’s fashion and textile industry is the second-largest sector after agriculture with an estimated market value of US$31 billion
• The use of tech in fashion has been brought to a much broader scale including the use of apps and the creation of smart textiles
• As the majority of Africans were forced to stay home, there emerged countless online clothing stores, most of which were using social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) as marketing tools

Like many other sectors across the continent, the fashion industry is also taking to embracing technology to improve operations.

Africa’s fashion and textile industry is the second-largest sector after agriculture with an estimated market value of US$31 billion in 2020 and growing annually.

While combining tech with fashion may seem farfetched, technology has always been an essential factor in the production of clothes and the different styles in fashion since the beginning of time.

It is …

The agreement places a premium on the expansion of the collaboration, particularly in renewable energy. Additionally, collaboration opportunities will be discovered in the areas of energy efficiency, energy technology, the hydrogen economy, flexible energy systems, storage solutions, integration technologies, hydrogen and Power-to-X, and research and development. 

The two ministries will endeavor to expedite the formation of partnerships between bilateral agencies and businesses to execute cooperative initiatives in innovation, research, and development. Renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy systems are critical components of a prosperous society. Finland has established considerable expertise in these domains, and it makes sense to foster this practical cooperation with Morocco. …

While Russia’s preferred visions and modes of action in the Maghreb seem to be fairly well identified, the perceptions and expectations, but also the possible reservations on the Maghreb are more rarely expressed by the leaders of these countries and little-studied at the academic level.

Perhaps we should look at this, as far as the powers that be are concerned, a concern for discretion regarding the sensitive aspects of this foreign policy component – this is particularly true for Algeria – an area on which they generally communicate little and for the academic research community in North Africa, a lack of knowledge related to the history, geography and culture of contemporary Russia.

If there is undoubtedly, on the Maghreb side and with important nuances from one country to another, a manifest interest in a development or a deepening of the partnership with Moscow, questions may remain about Russia’s objectives, especially …

The Spain energy crisis comes after Algeria cut off natural gas supply through the Gaz-Maghreb-Europe (GME) pipeline.

Algeria President Abdelmadjid Tebboune authorized Sonatrach (state energy firm) to stop gas exports to Spain through the pipeline that transverses through Morocco to Spain, due to tensions with Rabat, accusations that Morocco denied.

The 1400 km GME pipeline has been in operation for over 55 years, delivering billion cubic metres per year to Portugal and Spain.…

In June 2020, South Africa got the trial of marijuana off the ground as part of the six herbs that could effectively fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

A 2020 report by the research firm estimates that the marijuana market will be based majorly in the following five countries.

Market size would generate as follows if the required legislations take effect:  Nigeria (US$3.7 billion), South Africa (US$1.7 billion), Morocco (US$900 million), Lesotho (US$90 million), and Zimbabwe (US$80 million).…

• North Africa GDP was negative -1.1 per cent (2020) and -5.1 percentage point drop over 2019
• But the region is expected to recover pre-pandemic, propelled by oil and tourism industry
• Vaccination is still an important element in supporting the region towards recovery

The African Development Bank (AfDB), one of Africa’s multilateral development finance institutions, has released its 2021 edition of the North Africa Economic Outlook published on November 3, noted several interesting developments, including the potential for the economy to rebound attributed to performance in oil and tourism.

The COVID-19 pandemic trapped North Africa in economic uncertainty, as growth was hugely affected, causing serious shocks in oil prices and a drop in tourism.

The bank report noted that real GDP growth was negative in 2020 at – 1.1 per cent and – 5.1 percentage point drop over 2019. This situation pulled different sorts of reactions to curb the impacts, such …