North Africa’s Economy
Algeria: Petroleum sector facing uncertainty as political crisis escalates
By Arezki Daoud - 21 March 2019: Echoing the positions of many of the foreign companies operating in Algeria, peaking with Exxon Mobil halting talks with Sonatrach on the American company’s involvement in a gas project, oil analyst Julian Lee wrote in Bloomberg that...
Algeria: Exxon-Sonatrach talks on gas project stall as political crisis in Algeria deepens and fate of Sonatrach CEO at risk
The North Africa Journal - 20 March 2019: US oil firm Exxon Mobil suspended discussions with Algeria’s state-own Sonatrach on a natural gas development project, according to Reuters. The decision seems to be motivated by what is happening in Algeria with its mass...
Libya: NOC takes control of al-Sharara oil field, set to resume production
Tripoli, March 4, 2019 - One of Libya's most important oil fields is set to reopen nearly three months after it was taken over by an armed group, the state-owned National Oil Corporation said Monday. Production at the Al-Sharara site in southern Libya "is expected to...
Sahel: Growing concern over impact of climate change on the Sahel
Niamey, Feb 25, 2019 - Leaders of 17 countries on the rim of the Sahel began talks on Monday on a nearly $400-billion plan to help the fragile region cope with climate change. The 2018-30 scheme, covering countries ranging from Mauritania to the Horn of Africa, aims...
European Parliamant adopts EU-Morocco fishing agreement, angering Polisario Front
Strasbourg, France, Feb 12, 2019 (AFP) - The European Parliament on Tuesday adopted a new fishing agreement with Morocco that covers the adjacent waters of the disputed Western Sahara, angering the Algerian-backed Polisario Front independence movement. The authors...
Libya: Haftar forces enter al-Sharara oil fiel
Libya, Feb 6, 2019 (AFP) - A force led by Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, engaged in an offensive in southern Libya, said late Wednesday it had seized one of the country's biggest oil fields without a fight. Ahmad al-Mesmari, spokesman for the self-styled...
Sahel: Burkina Faso braces for more attacks on mines, asks industry to up security posture
Ouagadougou, Feb 1, 2019 - Authorities in Burkina Faso told mining companies on Friday to toughen up "anti-jihadist" security measures in the wake of the kidnapping and killing of a Canadian geologist last month. The body of Kirk Woodman was discovered with gunshot...
Trade: Concerns over the flooding of Turkish products into Morocco ($)
Turkish businesses are extremely competitive, with high-quality products and low prices. Despite efforts from the Moroccans to block direct entries of Turkish goods and products into its markets, Turkish exporters have been clever utilizing Arab free trade agreements...
Algeria: Energy officials signal willingness to reduce subsidies
Minister of Energy, Mustapha Guitouni, noted the desire of his department to target the subsidy of electricity prices, stating that “subsidy support electricity, must go only to the needy.” Echoing the Minister’s comment, Sonatrach's CEO, Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour,...
Agriculture: Plague wreaks havoc on Algeria’s small ruminants ($)
Small ruminants breeders in Algeria are in distress, with the continued spread of the small ruminant plague, as the vaccine promised by the Ministry of Agriculture is slow to arrive. The Minister of Agriculture, Abdelkader Bouazghi, did promise to make the 21 million...