Morocco's Arrabet and Skaleet partner for a new neo-bank offering in Africa  (Read more...)

OCP launches investor roadshow for up to $2 billion bond offering

OCP has begun an investor roadshow for an international bond offering worth up to USD 2 billion to finance its development plan, Reuters reported, citing an OCP source. The source added that the group has authorized BNP Paribas, Citi, and JP Morgan to manage the offering. The bonds will be the first since the group announced in 2022 a USD 13 billion strategy to fully transition to renewable energy to power its industrial operations. The company also plans to invest in green hydrogen for

CAF upholds Nahdet Berkane victory, rejects USM Alger appeal

The Royal Moroccan Football Association announced that it has received a decision from the Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regarding Algerian club USM Alger's appeal. The appeal contested the decision of the CAF Clubs Committee, which awarded Nahdet Berkane a 3-0 victory over USM Alger in the first leg of the CAF Cup semi-final match and referred the file to the Disciplinary Committee for possible disciplinary sanctions. The committee upheld the decisions of

China's Sentury Tire announces investment shift to Morocco plant

Chinese manufacturer of tires for cars and aviation Sentury Tire has announced that approximately CNY2.8 billion (approximately €360 million) allocated to build its factory in Spain will be allocated to the Moroccan plant instead. The company made this decision because the Spanish plant is still in the «approval process» with no clear end date, while the tire plant in Morocco is «doing well» and has a greater need for investment. The Moroccan plant, with a planned

Dutch-Moroccan drug lord who fled Spain believed to be in Morocco

Dutch-Moroccan drug lord Karim Bouyakhrichan, believed to be a key figure in the notorious «Mocro Maffia» criminal organization, who managed to flee Spain, taking advantage of his pretrial release, «may be hiding in the Nador region (northern Morocco), where his family and children are located» until he can return to the Netherlands, Spanish media suspected. «After his release from Alhaurin de la Torre prison, he was able to go to the coast of

Moroccan asylum seeker convicted of murder for stabbing UK pensioner over Gaza war

A Moroccan asylum seeker was convicted of murder, Thursday, by a UK court after stabbing a pensioner to death and attempting to kill his housemate. 45-year-old Ahmed Alid stabbed 70-year-old Terence Carney six times in the street in Hartlepool, northeast England, on October 15, 2023. He also attacked his housemate Javed Nouri and assaulted two police officers, Daily Mail reported. While Nouri survived the attack, Carney died, surrendering to his wounds after he was stabbed six times in the

Maghreb bloc without Morocco : Algeria tries to avoid a Libyan defection

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf held a press briefing on Thursday, outlining his country's viewpoint on the Tunis summit of April 22nd. He praised the conclave as «successful» and «unprecedented», emphasizing it wasn't targeted at any particular nation. Attaf reiterated that the «door to consultations remains open to all» with the necessary political will. The Algerian diplomat underscored the «Arab Maghreb Union» as a critical historical

Morocco Royal Navy rescues 85 migrants off Dakhla coast

A Royal Navy patrol boat came to the aid of a pirogue in distress on Thursday, 380 kilometers southwest of Dakhla. The vessel was carrying 85 Sub-Saharan migrants attempting to reach the Canary Islands, according to a press release from the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces. The rescued individuals received first aid onboard the patrol boat before being transported to the Port of Dakhla. They were then handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie for standard administrative procedures.

Algeria challenges CAF decision on match forfeited over jersey with full Moroccan map

The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) lodged a complaint with the FIFA Ethics Committee on Thursday against the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Algerian media reported. The complaint stems from the cancelled match between Renaissance Sportive de Berkane (RSB) and Union Sportive de la Medina d'Alger (USMA). The FAF disagrees with CAF's decision on Wednesday to award RSB a 3-0 victory in the cancelled match. The Algerian football body believes this decision violates CAF's own

Europe meets Morocco in the 26th edition of the Jazz au Chellah festival

Rabat will be hosting, from May 10 to 12, 2024, the 26th edition of the Jazz au Challah festival, reads a press release by organizers sent Thursday to Yabiladi. Kicking off on Europe day, May 10, this year’s edition promises a blend of European and Moroccan music at the medieval fortified Muslim necropolis of Chellah. The festival will feature a diverse array of talented artists from Europe and Morocco, including German trumpeter Markus Stockhausen accompanied by musician and poet Aziz

Mauritania meets with Algeria after Maghreb bloc summit minus Morocco

Mauritanian Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug met with the Algerian Ambassador in Nouakchott on Wednesday, April 24th. Their discussions reportedly centered on «strengthening the distinguished cooperative relations between the two sister countries», according to the Foreign Minister's post on the X platform. This meeting comes amidst regional tensions following the Tunis Summit on April 22nd, which involved Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Notably, Mauritania was absent from

Morocco's cannabis regulation agency granted 2,905 cultivation licenses in 2024

The National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis-Related Activities (ANRAC) reports a substantial increase in activity for the first four months of 2024 compared to 2023. ANRAC issued 2,905 cultivation licenses in 2024, a significant jump from 609 in 2023. The total cultivated area has also grown to 2,552 hectares (286 Ha in 2023). Over 2,700 authorizations were granted to farmers in the designated regions for cannabis cultivation. Compared to 2023, ANRAC issued more authorizations for

Maroc Telecom customer base grows, sales rise 1.2% in Q1 2024

Maroc Telecom announced positive customer growth and financial performance for the first quarter of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023. The company's customer base increased by 2.7% to 77.1 million, while sales grew by 1.2% driven by the strong performance of its subsidiaries, Moov Africa. Notably, Moov Africa saw a significant increase in mobile data sales (+21.7%). Additionally, fixed-line data sales in Morocco grew by 7.6% due to the success of their FTTH (Fiber-To-The-Home)

Rare serval cat spotted near Tangier, Water and Forests agency launches search

Morocco’s National Agency for Water and Forests (ANWF) is investigating the sighting of a serval cat near Tangier, Morocco. The serval is a wild cat species «on the verge of extinction» in the country, typically found in regions like the Guelmim area and the eastern Middle Atlas mountains, the agency said. The last confirmed sightings in the Middle Atlas were in 2013 and 2014. Following reports and online discussions about the serval appearing near the Saloukia forest of Cap

UK rejects UN council proposal on Sahara resources

The British government has rebuffed a proposal from Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle to establish a UN council overseeing Western Sahara's natural resources. In a written response, the government led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak clarified that they «do not consider commercial activity to be illegal in Western Sahara, providing it respects the interests of the Sahrawi people». «The UK continues to support the UN-led efforts and the work of Staffan de Mistura as Personal Envoy of

Algerian army holds live-fire exercises near Morocco border 

Algerian army commander General Saïd Chengriha visited the 3rd Military Region near the border with Morocco on April 23rd and 24th. According to Algerian media reports citing a Defense Ministry statement, General Chengriha observed live ammunition tactical training exercises in Béchar on Wednesday. The day before, he addressed troops in the region and ordered them to «intensify efforts to combat smuggling activities and organized crime in all forms». This directive

CAF awards RSB win, upholds return match in Berkane

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) issued, wednesday, its verdict in the case of the cancelled match between Renaissance Sportive de Berkane (RSB) and Union Sportive de la Médina d'Alger (USMA). CAF has awarded RSB a 3-0 victory and maintained the return match, scheduled for next Sunday, April 28th, in Berkane at 8:00 PM. The decision follows the Algerian authorities' refusal to allow RSB to play in their jerseys featuring the full map of Morocco, previously approved by CAF.

Morocco’s PJD suffers landslide defeat in Fes

The Justice and Development Party (PJD) has suffered yet another setback in Morocco's ongoing partial legislative elections. Today's vote in the South Fes district resulted in a decisive victory for the Independence National Rally Party (RNI) candidate. The RNI candidate secured a wide margin of 9,767 votes, compared to 3,854 for the PJD candidate who came in second. The PJD's Islamic Training Branch in Fes attributed their defeat to «shameful and anti-democratic practices carried out by

North Africa arms race : Morocco cuts spending as Algeria hits record high

The global arms industry is experiencing a significant upswing, according to the latest report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Global military spending in 2023 jumped by 6.8% compared to 2022, marking the «steepest year-on-year rise since 2009», notes the Swedish institute. North Africa is a region with particularly notable growth. SIPRI reports a 38% increase in military spending across the sub-region compared to 2022. «Algeria and Morocco