Employment
A
Look at Algeria's Employment Policy
Despite
a painful transition to an open market economy, progress has
been made in the past five years in Algeria to reduce unemployment.
But while the unemployment rate has been falling, low or no
skill jobs have been rising at an alarming rate. This conclusion
has been accepted as a fact by authorities as the nation's
employment policy lacks the proper resources and strategy
to look at the longer term. In comparative terms, Algeria
earmarks just about 0.7% of its GDP to support employment,
while in the OECD group of nations it fluctuates between 3.5%
and 7%. In the past decade, employment has been essentially
a soft target for policymakers and not a major priority. Today,
there appears to be recognition that the problem of unemployment
deserves added attention. This new position emerged only recently,
when the reported unemployment rate "fell" to "18%"
in 2004 [read
here]
Industry
Bailout
Moroccan Textile Industry Waits for Government
Bailout
The
Moroccan government is preparing to announce a plan to help
the textile industry rise out of its slump. Although the plan
is expected to fall short from what the industry has been
wishing to get, important measures are likely to be announced
that would make the Moroccan textile sector a little more
sheltered from a tough global environment and a bit more competitive,
as well. Parts of these measures have been borrowed from a
model already put in place in Tunisia. [read
here]
Politics
Citizens' Movement in the Berber Region of
Algeria Scores a Big Political Victory: Government
to Dissolve Unpopular Local and Regional Assemblies
(Photo:
Belaid Abrika, leading figure of the Berber movement)
Under
intense political pressure, the Algerian cabinet made the
decision to dissolve the highly controversial municipal assemblies
in the tense Kabylie region and elsewhere. The region has
long been the base of a political and cultural movement seeking
to boost the fundamental rights of the local ethnic Berber
population. The movement has been battling the government
for so long and although it scored a series of victories such
as the official constitutional recognition of the Tamazight
language, a final settlement on the whole Berbers' rights
issue has yet to materialize. [read
here]
Health
Issues
Morocco's Dismal Prenatal And Maternal Mortality
Record
Morocco
is having difficulties reducing prenatal and maternal mortality
(PMM). A study commissioned in 2003 by the health ministry
shows that 227 cases of PMMs per 100,000 birth were recorded
that year. In practical terms, this means that 1,500 women
die in Morocco each year before or during the process of giving
birth. That corresponds to four deaths per day. [read
here]
Industry
Strong Activity in Construction and Infrastructure
Building Boosts Moroccan Cement Sales in 1H05
The first
half of 2005 was a good period for the cement sector in Morocco.
After a difficult period particularly troubled by a tough
winter leading to a 30.8% year-on-year decrease of cement
consumption in January 2005, accompanied by a sluggish period
during the Aid El-Adha holiday celebrations, the market managed
to rebound to end in June with a half-year growth of 3.36%
year on year. [read
here]
Telecom
Siemens
Hired by Orascom Algeria for a Network Expansion, to Supply
GPRS System To Tunisiana
Orascom
Telecom Algeria spa (Djezzy), one of the three providers of
mobile telecommunications in Algeria, and a unit of Egypt's
Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E. selected the Siemens Communications
Group to expand its network using Siemens' "SmartInspire."
Siemens developed this solution specifically for emerging
markets in which mobile operators still achieve relatively
lower revenue per customer. [read
here]
