Here are the main headlines developed by the national press for this Friday, September 27, 2024
L’Opinion
• This is another discovery which is based on two decades of research and which, once again, shakes up our perspectives on the ancient history of Morocco. More than 5,400 years ago, around the fertile lands irrigated by Oued Beht, an agricultural society oriented towards intensive production flourished, which already demonstrated surprising sophistication. While Egypt had not yet begun its pharaonic period, Oued Beht was already the cradle of a civilization which maintained trans-Mediterranean relations with Iberia. Emerging from the dawn of time, this episode gives us today remains, spread over dozens of hectares, which will certainly create vocations and attract several consecutive generations of researchers and archaeologists.
• The standoff between medical students and the government has been going on for more than ten months. Unlike their cousins in the pharmacy who reached an agreement with the authorities, the white coats are maintaining their boycott. They shouted their anger during a demonstration they organized on Wednesday. In such a tense climate, it is difficult to see the end of the tunnel. Despite the benevolent mediation of the Mediator of the Kingdom, misunderstandings persist. The students remain intransigent on certain points, including the reduction in the duration of studies which they categorically refuse. In the meantime, the Minister of Higher Education, surprisingly calm, says he is open to dialogue. We still have to act quickly before it is too late.
• Two years after its announcement, the project to build around sixty public toilets in the city of Casablanca is still slow to come to fruition. However, when the news was announced, it raised high hopes among the city’s residents. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a welcome improvement in urban infrastructure has turned into yet another project that is slow to complete. A total budget of 11 million dirhams had been planned for the implementation of this program. According to the initially planned deadlines, a first batch of 20 public toilets should have been operational from January 2024. The other 40 units were to follow and be put into service before the end of this year. But the accumulated delays in the execution of the public contract have pushed back the deadline to March 2025 for the installation of all the infrastructure.
The morning
• At a time when medical students are demonstrating in Rabat and Casablanca, the Ministry of Higher Education announced on Thursday that the Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy would take the necessary measures to return their operations to normal. Note that the ministry’s press release is aimed at pharmacy students, but does not distinguish between faculties. No details were provided regarding the medical students who had rejected the Mediator’s mediation.
• Morocco is taking a new step in rail mobility with the high-speed line (LGV) extension project which will connect Marrakech to Tangier in just 2 hours 45 minutes. Mohamed Rabie Khlie, general director of the ONCF, said highlight this strategic advance at the InnoTrans 2024 exhibition in Berlin. With an investment of 8 billion dirhams, this project also includes the acquisition of new trains and initiatives to strengthen local transport, thus consolidating Morocco’s position in the global railway industry.
• Morocco advances 4 ranks in the Global Innovation Index of the World Intellectual Property Organization. This year, he is 66th in the world, and 9th in the MENA region. The index places the Kingdom at the top of the ranking for the indicator relating to filings of industrial designs and models by origin and by GDP. An exceptional performance!
Release
• The campaign to renew the National Electronic Identity Card (CNIE), initiated by the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) to facilitate access to this service for populations in remote areas, saw a large turnout on Wednesday in the province of Taounate. In the Oudka district, about forty kilometers north of Taounate, dozens of citizens rushed to the centers set up by the DGSN to renew their CNIE. This strong mobilization is explained in particular by the numerous presence of small cannabis growers, beneficiaries of the pardon granted by His Majesty King Mohammed VI on the occasion of the anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People.
The Economist
• The Competition Council is preparing to render its final decision in the dispute between Naps and the Interbank Electronic Payment Center (CMI) for anti-competitive practices. This would no longer be possible to sign direct contracts with traders. This activity will be exclusively devolved to payment establishments, independent or bank subsidiaries. A decision coupled with the capping of interchange fees at 0.65%. However, one question remains: will Naps seek compensation for the damage suffered?
• Despite several initiatives put in place by Morocco over the last ten years to develop and support the start-up ecosystem, the promotion of young shoots remains below ambitions. In 20 years, the country has not yet developed a single start-up that joins the very exclusive club of technological unicorns (start-ups whose value is greater than or equal to 1 billion dollars). According to experts and start-up founders, “the ecosystem evolves very slowly. “There are efforts to be made in terms of attracting large international technology companies.” Furthermore, fundraising generally remains insignificant, in homeopathic if not symbolic doses. Likewise, the venture capital market is still in its infancy. This limits financing possibilities for structures with high potential.
Al Bayane
• The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, pleaded, Wednesday in New York, for a revitalized multilateralism to find transformational solutions to the challenges facing the world. “At a time when conflicts and geopolitical tensions are increasing, it is more necessary than ever to revitalize our collective action, for transformational solutions in line with our ambition for a better and peaceful world,” Bourita underlined during the A meeting of G20 foreign ministers held on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
Al Massae
• The surge in olive oil prices due to the shortage of this product has sparked strong criticism from several MPs, who called on the government to take concrete measures to overcome this crisis as quickly as possible time limit. On this subject, Adil Dfouf, PAM deputy, underlined that the prices of olive oil have experienced a sharp increase in our country recently, due to the conjunction of several factors, mainly the drop in production. He called on the government to take the necessary measures to guarantee the availability of olive oil on Moroccan markets at reasonable prices.
Bayane Al Yaoum
• The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad, Nasser Bourita, highlighted, in New York, the efforts of the Sovereigns of Morocco in favor of coexistence, and against hatred and rejection of the other. In this long line, His Majesty King Mohammed VI has always defended the heritage of his ancestors, out of conviction and loyalty, promoting coexistence and sanctifying the plural Moroccan identity, Bourita indicated during a high-level event initiated Monday by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Al Ittihad alichtiraki
• The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad, Nasser Bourita, met on Wednesday in New York with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly. In the joint communiqué adopted at the end of this meeting, “Denmark considers the Autonomy Plan presented by Morocco in 2007 as a serious and credible contribution to the ongoing UN process and as a good basis for a solution agreed between the parties.
• Growth of the Moroccan economy should stand at 2.9% in 2024, driven by the manufacturing and tourism sectors, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) indicated on Thursday. Despite unfavorable weather conditions this year, “the recovery of the manufacturing and tourism sectors, supported by a recovery in exports and domestic demand”, should support the Moroccan economy, said the EBRD in its report on the regional economic outlook. .
Al Ahdat Al Maghribia
• The United Nations Environment Program’s “Food Waste Index” report revealed that Morocco wastes approximately 113 kilograms of food per person each year, for a total household food waste of 4.2 million tonnes per year. year. The same source also highlighted that food waste in Morocco, like the rest of the world, leads to serious environmental effects, because food waste is one of the main factors of climate change, largely contributing to gas emissions at greenhouse.
Assahra Al-Maghribia
• In application of high royal instructions, the government launched a program to rehabilitate areas affected by floods in the south-east of the Kingdom, due to heavy and exceptional rainfall which caused human losses and material damage in the provinces. of Errachidia, Midelt, Ouarzazate, Tinghir, Zagora, Figuig, Jerada, Taroudant, Tata, Tiznit, Guelmim, Assa Zag. The overall forecast budget allocated to the implementation of this program is approximately 2.5 billion dirhams, indicates a press release from the head of government’s department, noting that in this regard, and in accordance with the directives of King Mohammed VI, the government has mobilized all human and logistical resources to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of the affected population, and called on the various ministerial departments concerned to ensure the proper implementation of this ambitious program.
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