North Africa’s Economy
Elusive peace: Libyan militias damage only functioning oil refinery during violent clash
Libya's only operational oil refinery was "severely" damaged after gunmen battled for three hours around the complex, the National Oil Corporation said. "The Zawiya Oil Complex was severely damaged as a result of skirmishes by armed groups," Libya's state oil company...
Morocco: Public investment to consumer $27 billion next year
Morocco will spend a record 23 billion euros ($27 billion) on public investment in the coming year to right an economy shaken by the coronavirus pandemic, the economy minister announced on Tuesday. The government is planning to "mobilise public investment of 245...
Business: Algeria puts an end to Maghreb pipeline
Algeria will from now on deliver its natural gas to Spain exclusively through an undersea pipeline, ministers from both countries reportedly said Wednesday, after Algiers abandoned use of a line through Morocco. In August Algeria cut diplomatic ties with its Maghreb...
Libyan’s electricity crisis
By Hamza Mekouar: Walk down any commercial street in the Libyan capital Tripoli and the pavements will be lined with generators ready to spring into action whenever the mains electricity supply cuts out. In the decade since the NATO-backed overthrow of longtime...
Algeria says it will end natural gas transiting deal with Morocco
Algeria said Thursday it was ready to divert all its Spain-bound natural gas exports via an undersea pipeline that bypasses Morocco, state media said, two days after Algiers cut ties with its North African rival. In a meeting with Spanish Ambassador Fernando Moran,...
Libya: Countries jockeying for lucrative projects in Libya when stability returns
By Hamza Mekouar A decade after Libya descended into chaos, a host of countries are eyeing potential multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects in the oil-rich nation if stability is assured. Economist Kamal Mansouri expects Libya's reconstruction drive to be one of...
Tunisian president accuses hundreds of businessmen of corruption
By Romain Fonsegrives: Tunisia's President Kais Saied accused 460 businessmen of embezzlement as he declared a crackdown on corruption, days after grabbing power in what his opponents have labelled a "coup". Saied, who suspended parliament for 30 days and seized all...
Covid-19: Sputnik V and Sinovac vaccines will be manufactured in Constantine, Algeria
Algeria will manufacture the Chinese coronavirus vaccine Sinovac locally, the government announced Saturday, in a country hit by rising cases and constrained by a patchy inoculation rollout. Chinese experts arrived Friday to inspect equipment destined for a factory in...
Libya’s normalization efforts at an impasse
The UN envoy for Libya, Jan Kubis, on Thursday warned of an impasse in the political, security and budgetary plans for the country, which is supposed to hold general elections on December 24 but which are looking increasingly in doubt."I am deeply concerned about the...
Tunisia’s model seaweed farming
By Kaouther Larbi Wading knee-deep in the calm waters of a lagoon, workers in northern Tunisia harvest red seaweed, in a nation dubbed a Mediterranean "trailblazer" in cultivating the in-demand plant. Red seaweed or algae is used for gelling, thickening and texturing...