Year: 2017

‘TechGirls’ from Middle East and North Africa head to US

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Twenty-eight teenage girls from predominantly Muslim countries have been chosen to participate in the US State Department’s TechGirls 2017 exchange program. The girls, aged between 15 and 17, from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, and Tunisia, will take part in a 22 day summer exchange program in Washington DC and Virginia between July 12 and August 3. Previously the program had also included girls from Libya and Yemen, however this year they are not on the list of participating countries. TechGirls is an initiative of the US Department…

Kenya Takes the Lead in Medical Tourism

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Private health and wellness facilities are setting Kenya apart as one of the key medical tourist destinations in Africa, a new report shows. The Economic Development in Africa Report 2017 released by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) last week shows Kenya is one of Africa’s top beneficiaries of cross-border travel for medical purposes. Its health and wellness facilities are wooing hundreds of visitors from neighbouring states and helping to boost tourism industry. “The medical tourism is marked by African nationals seeking high-end specialised medical services and primary…

Tunisia: industrial production decreases 1% by end of April

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Production in the whole industry has decreased by 1% in the first four months of 2017, against a decline of 1.2% during the same period of the previous year, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS). This decrease is mainly due to lower production in the non-metallic mineral product manufacturing sector (-6.8%), following the decline in cement production, the agri-food (-3.6%) and the chemical industry (-2.1%). Production also went down in the energy extraction sector by 5.9%, mainly due to lower production of crude oil and natural gas.  On…

Pentagon receptive to Tunisian lobbying against proposed Trump aid cut

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unisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed received some encouraging support from US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis today at the start of a two-day visit to Washington aimed at reversing proposed aid cuts. Chahed made the Pentagon his first official stop on his first US trip as head of government, underscoring the importance of the US-Tunisian relationship as the fledgling democracy battles domestic terrorism and instability in next-door Libya. His trip’s success will largely hinge on Chahed’s ability to reverse a proposed 82% cut in US military assistance over the fiscal year 2016 under President Donald…

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 cafĂ©s, 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…

Integrating Tunisia into the new Silk Road

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The strategy for Tunisia’s integration into the new Silk Road is based on a set of fundamentals including diplomatic and consular relations, infrastructure, relations in the transport and tourism sectors, and in particular investment. The strategy, the result of a study prepared by the Arab Institute of Business Leaders (IACE) on the occasion of the 5th edition of “Tunis forum 2017” held Friday on the theme “Tunisia-China: A partnership for the future “, called for combating the illicit practices of making false declarations (false quantities, false prices and tariffs) and…