North Africa’s Economy
North Africa faces unprecedented economic crisis
Listen to the podcast above or read the transcript below. Download MP3 file here. 26 March 2020: By Arezki Daoud: North Africa is bracing for an unprecedented economic contraction, even if the coronavirus crisis were to be contained soon. The fundamentals of economic...
North Africans rush to Sanofi, betting on its antimalarials to fight Covid-19
The Algerian Minister of Health, Population and Hospital Reform announced on 23 March the use of a drug to treat patients proven to carry the Covid-19 virus. "Based on the experience of some countries, Algeria's top scientific committee decided to implement a new...
Algeria: Appeals court uphold prison sentences for corrupt former Prime Ministers
Algiers, March 25, 2020 - An Algerian appeals court has upheld sentences of over ten years in prison for two former prime ministers under ex-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika following an unprecedented corruption trial, a judicial source said Wednesday. The Algiers...
Authorities seek to appease population on food supply amid virus containment phase
Just as in many countries, North Africans have been flocking to their neighborhood markets, increasing their shopping in anticipation of a long Covid-19 confinement period. So far, the governments have not been so effecting in communicating their approach. There is...
Egypt: 20 killed in floods, as Egypt is unable to fix its crumbling infrastructure
Cairo, March 13, 2020 - Heavy rains and flooding have killed around 20 people in Egypt, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli said Friday, in what he described as some of the worst weather in several decades. In a statement posted on a government Facebook page, Madbouli...
Morocco suspends major travel links
MEA Risk Brief: In a drastic move aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus, Morocco announced the suspension of air and sea travel to and from France. Morocco already has seven confirmed cases of COVID-19, and one patient has already died. The Kingdom has...
Food and grocery shopping skyrockets in Tunisia
MEA Risk Brief: The average daily purchases of food products in Tunisia, including couscous, semolina, flour, pasta, etc., have skyrocketed these days, increasing tenfold in some parts, according to research from the Tunisia news agency TAP. Detergent and bleach...
Egypt: Mubarak’s sons cleared by court in market manipulation case
Cairo, Feb 22, 2020 - An Egyptian court on Saturday acquitted two sons of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and six others in a case known in the Egyptian media as stock exchange manipulation. A judicial official told AFP that the Cairo criminal court decided to...
Egypt confronts Ethiopia over future access to Nile’s water
Addis Ababa, Feb 18, 2020 - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that it could take "months" to resolve a dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt over a massive dam on the Nile River. Tensions have been high in the Nile basin ever since Ethiopia broke ground on...
North Africa confronting tough climate change
Skoura, Morocco, Feb 14, 2020 (By Ismail Bellaouali) - Dead palm trees lie on dry, yellowish earth near an abandoned adobe house in Morocco's arid southeast, as drought threatens ancient oases. "I grew up in this oasis and I have seen it shrink," says 53-year-old...