Morocco Prepares Major Economic Initiatives for 2026 Growth Push – The North Africa Post
The economic outlook appears encouraging despite international uncertainties that marked 2025. Morocco’s economy demonstrated resilience in 2025 against challenging international conditions, including European economic slowdown and persistent geopolitical tensions. The kingdom recorded growth estimated between 3.5% and 4%, supported by partial agricultural sector recovery and solid non-agricultural activities. Unemployment remains the country’s principal challenge despite budgetary efforts and social protection policy development. The labor market struggles absorbing growth, particularly for youth and women.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 31, 2025 16:49 UTC
The impact of reform on Africa’s oil and gas markets
As emerging producers gain prominence across the continent, lessons from Africa’s largest oil and gas markets show that the right reforms do more than improve governance – they deliver production, investment and measurable results. The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 overhauled the oil and gas sector, streamlining licensing and reducing bureaucracy to restore investor confidence and target 2.5 million bpd. A planned Gas Master Plan, dedicated Gas Code and new licensing rounds are strengthening the investment climate. Lessons for emerging producersThe experiences of Africa’s largest oil and gas markets offer critical guidance for emerging producers. Uganda, which anticipates first oil production at the Kingfisher and Tilenga fields in 2026, stands to benefit from lessons across the region.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 31, 2025 16:30 UTC
North Tyneside water safety alert issued for coastline
Water safety alert issued for coastlineTynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade said getting caught in a rip current could be fatalA water safety alert has been issued for a stretch of coastline where large waves are expected. Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (TVLB) said rip currents were "likely to be strong" along beaches in North Tyneside until Saturday. "This year, we have had a number of serious incidents where people have nearly drowned due to being caught in a rip current," a spokesman said. They added a person also drowned this year at Longsands beach after being pulled out to sea.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 31, 2025 07:28 UTC
Turning LNG Oversupply into Opportunity: Why Africa’s Gas Future Depends on Infrastructure - African Energy Week Cape Town
Rising African Demand Constrained by InfrastructureAfrica’s natural gas production is rising, with several new LNG projects coming online across the continent. North Africa currently produces two-thirds of the continent’s gas, but the African Energy Chamber’s (AEC) State of African Energy 2026 Outlook projects this share falling to 40% by 2035 as sub-Saharan output accelerates. By 2050, sub-Saharan LNG supply could quadruple, while African gas demand is expected to grow 60%, from 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2020 to 90 bcm. New Projects Signal MomentumRecent developments suggest positive momentum toward a more integrated African gas economy. Several major pipeline projects are underway, including the $25 billion Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline traversing 13 West African states, the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline connecting Nigeria to Algeria, and the $1.5 billion Mozambique-Zambia pipeline announced in 2025.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 31, 2025 07:07 UTC
How Tunisia’s VB SMART helps factory owners digitise, simplify daily operations
Tunisian startup VB SMART helps factory owners digitise and simplify their daily operations, providing a connected manufacturing operations management platform designed specifically for small and medium-sized factories. Founded in 2019 by Rami Kamoun and Amine Fourati, VB SMART is similar to ClickUp or Notion, but built for manufacturing processes. “At the core of VB SMART we provide an industrial IoT layer. That is why VB SMART is on mission to fill that gap.”The startup has completed its MVP, and released several software versions. Currently bootstrapped, VB SMART operates in North Africa, mainly Tunisia and Morocco, where it has built its development base and secured early SME manufacturing clients through local networks.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 31, 2025 06:56 UTC
Before Reacting to Somaliland, the African Union Must First End Polisario Membership – The North Africa Post
The African Union (AU) has rejected the recent Israeli recognition of the breakaway northern Somali territory of Somaliland, saying it defends the territorial integrity of its member states. Saudi Arabia downgraded an Arab African summit to a Saudi African format and explicitly referred to “54 states,” signaling refusal to host a non UN recognized entity. Somaliland and IsraelIsrael’s recognition of Somaliland triggered rapid, unified reactions across African and some Arab capitals, all rallying around Somalia’s territorial integrity. The AU needs to align with the UN-led process which calls on the parties to negotiate on the basis of Morocco’s autonomy plan. The AU needs to avoid prejudging outcomes and refuse to normalize non state actors as “member states,” before making statements on Somaliland.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 31, 2025 05:43 UTC
Morocco’s Aerospace Industry Enters Strategic Consolidation Phase – The North Africa Post
Morocco’s aerospace industry approaches 2026 within an upward momentum dynamic, with exports exceeding 23.65 billion dirhams through October 2025, confirming sustained growth as the sector transitions toward higher value-added activities. This expansion demonstrates Morocco’s evolution from basic subcontracting toward sophisticated aerospace manufacturing capabilities, including engineering services, advanced composites production, and precision machining operations. The complex will produce components for commercial aircraft engines, integrating Morocco deeper into global aerospace supply chains. Morocco’s aerospace sector development aligns with global supply chain restructuring, as manufacturers seek reliable, cost-competitive production locations outside traditional hubs. Investment in technical education and training programs produces skilled workers meeting aerospace industry requirements.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 31, 2025 05:18 UTC
Brazil’s North through a Lebanese lens
São Paulo – “In Brazil’s North, the earth is red, the air is warm, and the faces carry the memory of winds and rains. After spending part of his life in Manaus and returning to his homeland, Lebanon, Menassa regularly visits the Amazonian capital. “Through his lenses, the photographer shapes the soul of Manaus and the Amazon into striking black-and-white compositions. He captures emotion in every detail, portraying the textures of the forest and the pulse of the city,” the statement adds. The exhibition is curated by Jacques Menassa and Leonardo Novellino, the latter also serving as curator of the Manaus City Museum.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 31, 2025 04:24 UTC
Marriott hotel in Valor Acres reduced from six to five floors
(Bob Sandrick, special to cleveland.com)BRECKSVILLE, Ohio – A hotel in Valor Acres will contain five floors instead of six floors, under a revised hotel plan approved recently by the Brecksville Planning Commission. The AC Hotel Marriott originally was to include a sixth-floor rooftop bar and possibly a restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. DiGeronimo signed the AC Hotels Marriott chain in 2024 for the mixed-use portion of Valor Acres. According to hoteltechreport.com, Marriott’s AC hotel brand is a service hotel designed for business and solo travelers. Meanwhile, Canvas, an apartment-townhome section of Valor Acres, is under construction on the northern end of the site.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 31, 2025 02:30 UTC
Cookbook Club - French Cuisine
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Source:The North Africa Journal
December 31, 2025 02:24 UTC
Top 10 African countries that have the potential to be major tourist destinations
Africa’s tourism is rising. A ranking by Insider Monkey highlights ten African nations poised to dominate the global tourism market, driven by natural beauty, cultural depth, wildlife, and improving infrastructure. With its endless desert landscapes, red dunes at Sossusvlei, dramatic Skeleton Coast and vast Etosha National Park, the country offers cinematic beauty at every turn. TanzaniaADVERTISEMENTBI AfricaTanzania is Africa’s wildlife superpower. Home to Serengeti National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro and the Zanzibar archipelago, it offers unmatched diversity in one destination.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 31, 2025 01:40 UTC
10 fastest birds of prey in the world – able to reach speeds of almost 200 MPH, these deadly aerial predators strike in a blink of an eye
Credit: GettyPeregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) are the fastest birds in the world. GyrfalconThe gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) is the world’s fastest bird in level flight with an average speed of 80-109kph (50-68mph). Credit: GettyA merlin (Falco columbarius) is a small falcon – very fast and agile – that hunts small birds and insects. Credit: GettyThe American kestrel (Falco sparverius) is a small falcon found across North America and only occasionally spotted in the UK. It is small but quick, using bursts of speed to ambush prey.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 30, 2025 23:36 UTC
Regional Assistant Editors (effective January 2026)
Introducing Regional Assistant Editors – strengthening the Blog’s global coverage from January 2026From January 2026, the Kluwer Mediation Blog will be supported by a new roster of Regional Assistant Editors. What Regional Assistant Editors will doCultivate regional contributor networks (practitioners, academics, institutions, professional bodies). Help ensure the Blog reflects both established mediation jurisdictions and places where mediation is developing quickly. Call for expressions of interest – remaining regional gapsTo ensure balanced global coverage, we are still seeking Regional Assistant Editors (and, in some high-volume regions, deputies or contributing editors) for several parts of the world. We look forward to working with our Regional Assistant Editors from January 2026 and to continuing to widen the Blog’s global lens.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 30, 2025 21:21 UTC
UNICEF: Over half of children in Sudan’s North Darfur malnourished
More than half of children in Um Baru in Sudan’s North Darfur region are suffering from acute malnutrition, including one in six with life-threatening severe acute malnutrition that can prove fatal within weeks without urgent treatment, UNICEF said Monday. The assessment found that 53% of children were acutely malnourished, including 18% with severe acute malnutrition and 35% with moderate acute malnutrition. "When severe acute malnutrition reaches this level, time becomes the most critical factor,” Russell said. UNICEF said North Darfur remains at the epicenter of Sudan’s malnutrition crisis, with nearly 85,000 severely malnourished children admitted for treatment in the state by November 2025. Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states of the Darfur region except for some northern parts of North Darfur, while the army holds most areas of the remaining 13 states, including the capital Khartoum.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 30, 2025 17:41 UTC
Morocco tightens anti-dumping measures in 2025 – The North Africa Post
Morocco has stepped up its commercial defense measures throughout 2025 to shield domestic industries from an alarming increase in imports sold at dumping prices or in excessive volumes. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has deployed a full arsenal of anti-dumping duties, provisional measures, safeguards, and extensions, to restore fair competition across several industrial sectors. Just weeks earlier, on November 24, the ministry imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on PVC imports from Egypt, citing some of the highest dumping margins ever recorded. On December 22, provisional anti-dumping duties were applied to galvanized steel wire imports from Egypt and the UAE. Imports had surged dramatically, up 43% in 2020, 98% in 2021, and 73% in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 30, 2025 17:11 UTC