INDUSTRIES
AND MARKETS
What’s Ahead for the Moroccan Privatization
Program?
Over the past 13 years, the Moroccan economy managed to
generate billions of dollars from the sale of state assets
to private and foreign investors. And with only MAD 4.4
billion ($510 million) expected this year, the privatization
program as a source of state revenue is quickly shrinking.
The big ticket items like Maroc Telecom, Samir, Fertima,
Somaca, CNIA, Sonasid, Régie des Tabacs and others are no
longer there to count on for more money and the debate over
the future of privatization has now begun.
[read
here]
INDUSTRIES AND MARKETS
North Africa Airline: Industry Update
Highlights:
* Algiers Airport Gets Facelift
* Qatar Airways Adds 5th Weekly Service Between Algiers and
Doha
* Air Algerie Closer to Flying to Canada
* Bombardier to Supply Aircraft to Tassili Air
* Royal Air Maroc takes possession of a Boeing 737-800
* Tunisair to Up its Capital
* China Southern Eyeing North African Presence
[read
here]
PROFILE
Moulay Hafid Elalamy, New Head of CGEM
One
June 30, 2006, Moulay Hafid Elalamy was elected chairman of
the Moroccan business association, Confédération Générale
des Entreprises du Maroc, CGEM, opening a new chapter for
the troubled organization but with an uncertain outcome. Running
without competition, Elalamy gathered 2,258 votes of the 2296
expressed voices, thus replacing Hassan Chami who was given
an honorary president position. Mohamed Chaibi was elected
vice president.
[read
here]
INDUSTRIES
AND MARKETS
The Sorry State of the Internet in Algeria
The
telecommunications sector is making major strides in Algeria,
driven by a booming mobile telephony market and the recent
issuance of a second fixed telephony license, but Internet
activity in the country remains hampered by a plethora of
obstacles. These range from limited bandwidth and prohibitive
access fees to the very low computer penetration rates of
households and businesses. With the number of individuals
accessing Internet at 1.9 million, only 5.52% of the Algerian
population benefits from some sort of access to the web. This
number is low by all measures, including compared to at least
double that rate in neighboring Morocco and Tunisia.
[read
here]
INDUSTRIES
AND MARKETS
On
Going Battle Over Urban Transport Concession in Rabat, Morocco
Moroccan private transport operators are angry about the way
the concession of the urban transport service of Rabat, Skhirat
and Temara is being handled. The opening of the bids that
occurred recently showed that only three out of the 10 local
operators submitted their bids as part of groups led by foreign
companies, including the French Vivendi and the Spanish Alsa,
who already control the Marrakech urban transport market.
[read
here]
LABOR AFFAIRS
Industrial Unrests Intensify in Morocco
After
a substantial reduction registered in the late 2000s, falling
from 439 in 2000 to 154 in 2005, the number of industrial
strikes in Morocco is back up again. In the first quarter
of 2006, the number of strikes rose to 44 compared to 39 the
same period last year. Meanwhile, the number of individual
conflicts in the workplace decreased slightly from 10,129
to 9,881.
[read
here]
Profile: