Day: July 10, 2017

Southern African economies the most competitive in Africa

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Mauritius, South Africa, Rwanda, Botswana, Morocco, Namibia, Algeria, Tunisia, Kenya and Cote d’Ivoire are the 10 most competitive economies in Africa, according to the Africa Competitiveness Report 2017. In all of Sub-Saharan Africa, Mauritius leads the pack as the topmost efficient country, while on the global scale it ranks as the 45th most attractive country in which to do business, having dropped from its 39th spot from last year. Mauritius is followed by South Africa, whose global ranking has substantially improved from 56 to 47, while Rwanda has also upgraded…

Commission approves disbursement of €100 million in assistance to Tunisia

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The European Commission, on behalf of the EU, has today approved the disbursement of a €100 million loan to Tunisia.  This represents the third and last tranche of the €300 million Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA-I) programme to Tunisia, adopted in May 2014. The MFA-I programme is part of the EU’s comprehensive efforts to help Tunisia respond to the severe economic difficulties it is facing and the persistent political instability in the region. The operation has supported Tunisia’s process of economic recovery both by providing concessional funding, and by encouraging the implementation of…

Morocco Offers ‘Green Growth Model’ in MENA region- Climate Tracker

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Morocco stands as a model in the MENA region when it comes to promoting green growth, said Climate Tracker, the world’s leading climate journalism portal, in an article entitled “Climate Change Threatens Uninhabitable Conditions for the Middle East and North Africa.” “Morocco has been a good example,” wrote Lina Yassin on Climate Tracker highlighting that the North African Kingdom made “climate change adaptation a national priority” and set “the country on a path to green growth”. The author shed light on Morocco’s efforts to adapt to climate change, notably in…

Germany’s New Marshall Plan for Africa

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With the Group of 20 (G20) Summit occurring in Germany this weekend, political leaders, presidents, and prime ministers from twenty nations are gathering to discuss economic matters germane to their nation and the Group. Though the international threat concerning North Korea’s advancement of ICBMs will certainly be addressed, the Summit also presents an opportunity to deliberate issues germane to the Group’s cohesion. A region of the world which can benefit from such deliberation is Africa, an area in which foreign investment is surging. Investments within the continent, though multi-faceted, mostly center on…

Luxembourgers and Arabs find their way to ‘Babylon’

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As the number of residents in Luxembourg hailing from Arab countries such as Iraq, Syria, Tunisia or Morocco increases, so does the demand for shops selling produce from those regions too. Luxembourg has recently seen an increase in shops catering to Arabic tastes, as well as restaurants, shisha cafés, and even small markets selling traditional Arabic consumer goods. I paid a visit to one such shop, “Babylon Mini Market” on route d’Esch in Luxembourg City, to find out from the owner, Wisam, where the idea of a mini market came…