economy upfront Bound

Tunisian SMEs say a new rule requiring a 20% bank guarantee for service contracts risks shutting them out of the market and harming the country’s business climate, with experts urging the government to revise the measure.

Factories that once hummed with activity along Mauritania’s Atlantic coast now stand silent, their doors shut as fish stocks plunge and communities struggle to adapt. In Morocco, the warning signs are just as stark—sardine landings in key southern ports have nearly halved, and locals worry that they might soon face the same fate as their neighbors to the south.

An international tribunal has ruled Niger must stop selling or transferring uranium produced by Somaïr, as French firm Orano claims rights to stockpiled material after the mine’s nationalization. The September 23 ICSID order temporarily freezes the disputed uranium assets until the legal case is resolved.

Morocco’s central bank maintains its interest rate at 2.25%, citing steady inflation and job growth despite global uncertainty and water shortages.