Africa Economy

As in other developing countries, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and very small businesses (VSBs) play an important role in Morocco’s economy. The head of the cooperation service at the National Agency for SME Promotion (Agence Nationale pour la Promotion des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises, ANPME), Houssam Fathi, told OBG that SMEs account for almost 95% of all...

Fiscal reform has long been a policy priority in Morocco, although with rural development, youth employment and trade balances also competing for attention, addressing the issue has always been rather tricky. While not revolutionary, the recently approved 2014 budget goes some way towards tackling a number of the more salient weaknesses in...

A move to reduce fuel subsidies is expected to help the government’s efforts to strengthen its balance sheets. Largely as a result of a protracted slowdown in Europe, the primary trade partner and major source of foreign direct investment, Morocco’s “twin” (fiscal and trade) deficits have risen steadily in the past five years. In addition to...

Over the past 10 years Morocco has changed significantly. Visitors to Casablanca, Tangiers or Agadir now explore cities that are substantively different from their 2004 incarnations, with new tramways, taller buildings and faster internet.

Morocco has long been a cultural and economic crossroads between the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Waves of immigration from the Middle East from the 7th century onward have largely shaped the country’s distinctive heritage, and sizable capital flows from the Middle East continue to have an important role in financing development projects...

While Morocco has good relations with a broad range of countries, it has long maintained particularly close ties with three key partners, namely the US, Europe (both the EU as a bloc and several key member states individually, above all France) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The areas of cooperation between the kingdom and these...