North Africa’s Economy
Algeria: Feud between Prime Minister and oligarchs exposes Algeria’s central problem: who is in charge?
The North Africa Journal- August 10, 2017: The Algerian political system has been witnessing a new feud in the open between the new Prime Minister and the oligarchs, representing the country’s wealthy business owners. The rise of the oligarchs has coincided with...
Africa: Nigeria halts all oil exploration in Borno as Boko Haram kills researchers and
The North Africa Journal: July 28, 2017: The Nigerian government is cancelling all exploration activity in northeast of the country. Security information firm MEA Risk LLC reports that the decision came after six civilians who were part of an oil exploration team,...
Oil exporters facing difficult outlook, watch for rising instability
The North Africa Journal- June 29, 2017 - By Arezki Daoud: The outlook for the oil market, from the perspective of exporters looks grim. This situation will likely exacerbate the security, social and political tensions in various exporting countries that MEA Risk LLC...
Mali: Fuel outage hits Bamako
A severe fuel outage has hit Bamako in recent days, as a consequence of the strike held by the national union of motorists and truckers of Mali (Synacor) since 22 May.
Egypt’s tough balancing act: The contradictory task of ensuring social peace while delivering economic growth
The North Africa Journal - May 24, 2017 - Egyptian households are bracing of an extremely costly Ramadan season. Ramadan will start at the end of May, and will last a month, in a period that promises to see another spike in food prices unless government controls are...
Explosive social unrest across the Maghreb region
The North Africa Journal - May 24, 2017 - The Maghreb countries of North Africa are facing an unprecedented level of social and labor unrest. The Ramadan season, slated to start at the end of this month, will likely be quiet on the social front. But what we see in...
Tunisia: Military called to protect industrial assets amid rising social unrest
The North Africa Journal | May 11, 2017: For the first time in the country’s history, the Tunisian government has asked the army to protect oil and gas sites and other key infrastructures. Advisory firm MEA Risk LLC says the country’s president, Beji Caid Essebsi...
Algeria to require food industry to certify its products Halal
North Africa Journal- May 4, 2017: The Algerian government will require food vendors to certify their product to the Halal standard. The requirement is expected to be gradually rolled out starting June 2017, per a multi-ministerial decree. Authorities are currently...
After failing to make its case against Goldman Sachs, Libya’s sovereign wealth fund takes Société Générale to court
The North Africa Journal - May 4, 2017: The Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) is back to the UK to sue the French financial giant Société Générale (SG) for corruption in front of a London court. LIA is still valued at some $60 billion and has been seeking to recover...
Uncertainty over Italy’s renewal of key gas deal with Algeria
The North Africa Journal - May 4, 2017: Since the beginning of the year, Italy has been sending mix signals about the renewal of its gas contract with Algeria. The current multi-year deal comes to an end in 2019, which the Italian Minister of Economic Development...