Analysis Trade Morocco-EU trade in turmoil after court ruling It has been a difficult week for Morocco and its partnership with the European Union. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled last week that fishing and farming deals between the two parties struck in 2019 are now invalid. The agreements faltered over the thorny – and sensitive – issue of the Western Sahara, which […] October 11, 2024
Analysis Agriculture Legal cannabis offers Morocco a route into Europe The King of Morocco, Mohammed Vl, has taken the unprecedented step of pardoning more than 4,800 illegal cannabis farmers in the north of his country. Mohammed El Guerrouj, the head of the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis-Related Activities (Anrac), said the decision was made to encourage farmers to grow cannabis legally and to […] September 20, 2024
Analysis Economy One year on, Atlas earthquake still highlights Morocco’s divide Last Sunday marked one year since a devastating earthquake hit Morocco, flattening entire villages in the Atlas Mountains and killing around three thousand people. Within a week of the disaster, the country’s deadliest earthquake in 63 years, King Mohammed VI pledged MAD120 billion ($11.6 billion) over five years for reconstruction of the area. That included […] September 9, 2024
Analysis Business of Sport Morocco makes 2030 World Cup a focus for investment The artist’s impression shows a massive polygonal structure, with an aluminium lattice roof draped in floating cream sheets. This is the Grand Stade Hassan II de Casablanca at Benslimane, north of Morocco’s commercial capital. The successful design was unveiled earlier this week by the winning architects, the Casablanca-based Oualalou + Choi and the arena specialist […] August 25, 2024
Development Morocco to get $657m from African Development Bank Four financing agreements worth MAD6.45 billion ($657 million) and covering areas from forestation to a new university have been signed between Morocco and the African Development Bank. The Guercif-Nador highway project, which will connect the new Nador West Med port to Morocco’s existing road network, will receive MAD2.14 billion in AfDB funding. The highway is […] July 22, 2024
Analysis Sustainability Morocco lures manufacturers to avoid EU carbon taxes Morocco is looking at investing in carbon dioxide capture and storage to attract manufacturers to the country who want to avoid the EU’s upcoming carbon tax on imports. The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which will come into effect in 2026, will tax imports of goods such as steel, cement and fertilisers into […] July 22, 2024
Tourism Morocco’s medinas given $800m facelift to lure tourists The kingdom hopes its old cities, with their alleyways and history, will attract more travellers July 21, 2024
Analysis Agriculture Balancing the scales of Morocco’s food exports Free trade access to the EU and UK markets, and a longer – or at least different – growing season mean that Moroccan farmers are producing bumper exports that are helping to reshape the country’s economy around agriculture. However, those exports are drawing criticism from those who believe the country should prioritise its citizens’ own […] July 11, 2024
Analysis Infrastructure Morocco struggles to solve its water crisis A seawater desalination plant that opened last month at Sidi Rahal near Casablanca is a major part of Morocco’s plans to tackle the country’s frightening decrease in water supplies. The plant will be built in two phases and is designed to produce 300 million cubic metres of water a year to supply 7.5 million people, […] July 1, 2024
Agriculture Drought pushes up sheep price for Eid in Morocco The price for a sheep in Morocco for the annual sacrifice at Eid al-Adha has increased on average at 10 times the 2.2 percent rate of inflation. A medium-sized female sheep costs MAD4000 ($400) as opposed to MAD3000 last year. This puts it out of range for many families in the country where a high […] June 17, 2024
