Trade

Profiles of the Diaspora: Hanane Benkhallouk

“You can take the man out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the man.”

A native of Morocco, Hanane Benkhallouk began her career in New York before moving to Dubai in 2005. Along the way, she held senior positions in sales and marketing, communications and business development. She has led multinational, interdisciplinary teams for international market projects – MENA, Asia, Europe and the USA – and in diverse sectors, from finance and banking to retail, real estate investment, franchise development and consulting services.

Also available in: العربية | Français

The Middle East and North Africa region has never faced such significant stress on its ageing infrastructure like it does today, with one of the most telling being the substantial increase in the need for electricity. It is estimated that electricity demand in the MENA region will increase by 84% by 2020, requiring an additional 135 GW of generation capacity and an investment of US$450 billion. The quest for new approaches to ensure adequate and reliable supply of electricity in the region is more urgent than ever before.

Also available in: Français | العربية

At a time when the government has rightfully declared war against smuggling, there are very few studies or figures that shed light on the factors that led to the growth of this phenomenon.

Also available in: العربية | Français

Civil wars are not only a human tragedy for the countries that experience them, but they can also have an impact on neighbouring countries. That is the case also for the devastating civil war in Syria - one of the most violent in recent times. The war has caused devastation and hundreds of thousands deaths, displacing over 6 million people, and forcing another 3 million to flee the country as refugees.

Also available in: Français | العربية

In any developing country, you’ll hear politicians and government officials talk about foreign investment as a solution, a priority and a need. In other words, it is essential for economic growth and more jobs. Tunisia is no exception. Ever since the 2011 revolution there has been a lot of talk about tackling unemployment by encouraging foreign investments.

Also available in: العربية | Français

Tunisian sugar beet and Sudanese sesame seeds are the main ingredients of the halwa made by Tunisia’s Grand Fabrique de Confiserie Orientale (GFCO) company. Great globs of sesame seeds, mixed with nougat, are put in cans bearing pictures of a gazelle. The Ottoman Turks left behind a taste for this sweet not just in Tunisia but in Libya and Algeria too, and this brand of halwa has long made its own way onto their markets, according to the company's director, Moncef Ayoub.

Also available in: العربية | Français

His achievements may have attracted less attention than the brilliant performance of the Fennecs (“desert foxes”)—the Algerian football team which made it into the round of sixteen at the World Cup in Brazil—but they deserve to be revisited nonetheless. His accomplishments are not included in the records’ book, nor can they be reduced to an act of revenge against France, Algeria’s former colonizer: they are about the kind of success that only globalization holds the key to.

Also available in: Français | العربية

Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea after the popular voting in early March, the European Union and recently the U.S. and Canada have imposed their first round of sanctions—an asset freeze and travel ban on some officials in Russia and Crimea. This week NATO's foreign ministers, warning that Russian troops could invade the eastern part of Ukraine swiftly, ordered an end to civilian and military cooperation with Russia. Should the crisis escalate, potential fallout on Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries is likely. The effects would be transmitted directly through trade and indirectly through commodity prices.

Also available in: Français | العربية

In 1991, Egypt launched the Economic Reform and Structural Transformation Program (ERSAP) to address dire economic conditions. The difficult financial situation forced the government to reschedule its public debt twice, in 1987 and 1991. The Egyptian reform program moved at a slow pace until 2003, when the government pushed for further liberalization of the economy. The government began by floating the rate of exchange of the Egyptian pound in 2003, followed by the implementation of a series of policies aiming at shifting Egypt from a centrally planned to a free market economy.

Also available in: Français | العربية

This blog post was first published on the Trade Post blog by Gael Raballand and Miles McKenna.

A big issue for the business community, informal trade has been equally as troublesome for the cash-strapped transitional government. According to recent World Bank research, the Tunisian government is losing a significant amount of public revenues-- duties, value-added tax and other taxes-- from informal trade along the Libyan and Algerian borders.

Trade

Profiles of the Diaspora: Hanane Benkhallouk

Tunisia and Italy shine light on how regional electricity trade can help stabilize the region

Where do Tunisia’s Tires Come From and Why? A Look at Informal Trade

The impact of the Syrian civil war on its neighbours: the trade channel

How Can Foreign Investment Become a Driving Force for Development in Tunisia? Ask My Brother

Stories from the Unfinished Revolution: Regulations Leave Bitter Taste for Tunisian Candy Makers

The Algeria That Wins

What will happen to the Middle East and North Africa region if the Ukraine crisis escalates?

Privatization: A Key to Solving Egypt’s Economic Woes

Smuggling Adds to Tunisia's Budget Woes

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