Morocco

Agriculture has always been a major component of the local economy in the Oriental region, historically vying with mining as one of the main revenue earners. However, like several other regions in Morocco, the Oriental has struggled to capture a larger part of the value of local production, often depending on raw exports or subsistence-level...

Although exploration activity in Morocco’s offshore basin has thus far not produced commercial discoveries, a number of oil players have increased their presence in recent times. According to the country’s national oil company, the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM), a total of 27 wells are planned for 2014, of which at...

The landscape of Morocco’s easternmost region, known as the Oriental, is vastly different than it was a decade ago, thanks to an overarching economic development initiative launched in 2003. The region has a number of advantages, with Mediterranean coastline, a fertile agricultural environment in the north, diverse topography and a young...

The Nador West Med Port project, which is still in the early stages of construction, aims to build a deepwater port with trans-shipment and container facilities and stands to transform the Oriental region’s position in Morocco’s maritime transport system.

As a direct result of the global slowdown, regional unrest and weaker demand in the EU, Morocco’s budget deficit widened to 7.7% in 2012, its highest level since 1990. This can largely be seen as a result of falling foreign direct investment and exports, as well as increased social spending over the past few years. In grappling with this...

While Morocco is a major agricultural exporter to Europe, as evidenced by a glance at the produce aisle of any large supermarket, one popular type of fruit is rarely exported outside the country: dates. Historically, the country has consumed more dates than it has produced, but activity in the segment is expected to be revived under a new...