Oil
and Gas
British
Gas Group in Tunisia
In
Tunisia last month, a senior executive at British Gas Group
said his company would build new liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
facilities in Tunisia to strengthen the supply of that product
to the Tunisian market. Stuart Fysh, the Executive Vice President
and Managing Director Mediterranean Basin and Africa says
BG is currently building a pipeline to transport light crude
between the cities of Sfax and Skhira. New wells will be drilled
in Gabes, and in the Miskar platform a new compressor was
installed at a cost of $100 million, with the aim of boosting
output. [read
here]
Economy
Moroccan
Prime Minister Jettou's Top Three Challenges
Speaking
before the national assembly and the media, as the current
legislative session is in its mid term, Prime Minister Jettou
recently provided a mixed assessment of the Moroccan economy,
largely driven by policies he established or endorsed. Although
the Moroccan economy managed to grow by 4.2% in 2004 and is
expected to further expand by 3.5% this year, there are burning
economic and industry policy issues that, if unresolved, risk
slowing the pace of growth and increasing unemployment. [read
here]
Market
Profile
The
Libyan Market for Cosmetics, Hygiene Products and Perfume
Despite
low wages of between €180 and €250 per month, the
Libyan market for cosmetics, hygiene products and perfume
is growing and is considered lucrative for those involved.
The most important driver was the removal of price control
and the injection of simple market mechanisms. [read
here]
Stock
Exchange
Sluggish
Casablanca Stock Exchange Gets a Boost from Maroc Telecom
There
is optimism in the Casablanca Stock Exchange. The activity
in the North African bourse appears to be picking up. Although
the amount and value of the transactions have been on the
rise, the source of such activity indicates that the Bourse
remains heavily reliant on the performance of a few companies
and the joy is not spread among all the listed stocks. [read
here]
Trade
Tunisia
Trade with France Shows €41.3 Million Deficit
The balance
of trade between France and Tunisia in 2004 turned out in
favor of France by a value of €41.3 million. This is
typical of France, which has also been able to maintain such
positive momentum among other Maghreb trading partners. [read
here]
