EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In recent years, Qatar has been exponentially expanding its national healthcare system to cater to the needs of its people and support economic diversification. The country has been…

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Saudi Arabia is the Middle East and North Africa region’s largest healthcare and pharmaceuticals market. With a large and affluent population, the sector has attracted attention from private…

Algeria in turmoil following Boute ika’s ousting There is concern among Algerians and potential investors that the head of the country’s powerful army, Lt Gen Ahmed Gaïd Salah, could bene…

IMF urges further reform effort The International Monetary Fund praised Egypt’s economic recovery in April 2019 but urged the authorities to remain focused on reforms. After meeting President Abdel Fattah…

Hopes rest of export-led recovery The International Monetary Fund and World Bank, the multilateral lenders that have both commit- ted funding to Jordan, see the economy’s recovery based on an…

IMF urges more focus on reforms The International Monetary Fund used the rst review of its Precautionary and Liquidity Line (PLL) arrangement for Morocco that it agreed in December 2018…

Moody’s last agency to downgrade to junk Moody’s Investor Services became the nal credit rating agency to downgrade Oman’s sovereign debt to junk. It cut Oman’s credit rating to Ba1,…

Green light for further IMF funds Tunisia is to bene t from a further $247m disbursement under the International Monetary Fund’s Extended Fund Facility that will be paid in June…

Construction work offsets oil slowdown Plans for further construction work will help o set the impact of lower prices on economic growth. The ongoing implementation of the infrastructure programme will…

Egypt targets gas expansion The Egyptian government is set to roll out three international tenders for gas exploration as part of its strategy to focus on that sector. Minister of…

Kuwait set for stronger growth Economic growth is expected to strengthen in 2019 compared with 2018 thanks to an upturn in non-oil activity. In its Article IV assessment in January…

Trade surplus testament to Qatar resilience A surge in Qatar’s trade surplus has given a clear indication of the emirate’s ability to cope with the impact of the economic embargo…

Two-decade de ation low points to subdued economy A fall in in ation to its lowest levels for almost 20 years comes amid fears that a recent economic upturn may…

Central bank trumps IMF with 4.2% growth forecast The United Arab Emirates central bank has raised its forecast for economic growth for 2019 despite non-oil growth slowing slightly in the…

Algeria faces economic slowdown as protests mount The economy slowed into the third quarter of 2018, posting growth of 0.8% down from 1.1% in the second quarter. Algeria’s government expects…

IMF grants $4bn loan after review The International Monetary Fund said in February 2019 that Egypt’s macroeconomic outlook remained favourable, supported by strong policy implementation as it con rmed the…

Trump sanctions send Iran budget de cit soaring The impact of the US sanctions has already had an impact on Iran’s public nances. The public sector de cit soared by…

Morocco gains $3bn precautionary IMF credit line The International Monetary Fund has approved a Precautionary and Liquidity Line (PLL) arrange- ment for Morocco that will provide insurance against external risks…

Government prioritises infrastructure in Budget The government has allocated OMR3.7bn for infrastructure development, industrial and services projects in its 2019 state budget. This includes OMR1.2bn allocated for infrastructure projects, which…

Sudan plunges into recession The Sudanese economy slumped into recession in 2018, strangled by soaring in ation, a currency shortage and the lingering impact of US sanctions. The economy likely…

Tourism up, but growth slows The Tunisian economy is in slowdown mode despite a rebound in tourism that is one of the central plans for economic growth. Growth in Tunisia’s…

Central bank trumps IMF with 4.2% growth forecast The United Arab Emirates central bank has raised its forecast for economic growth for 2019 despite non-oil growth slowing slightly in the…

Qatar pulls out of Opec Qatar o cially withdrew from the oil producers’ cartel, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, on 1 January 2019. Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi said…

Kuwait returns to growth The Kuwaiti economy is expected to enjoy a stronger recovery than previously expected. In its October 2018 world economic outlook, the International Monetary Fund said the…

Economy to slow into 2019 — IMF The International Monetary Fund used its January 2019 interim global economy update to cut its forecast for growth in 2019 to 1.8%, 0.6…

IMF hails Egyptians ahead of loan review The head of the International Monetary Fund praised the Egyptian people for their resilience in the wake of the economic crisis ahead of…

Bahrain maintains growth albeit at slower pace The Bahraini economy posted its second successive quarter of growth following a contraction in the opening quarter of 2018. Bahrain’s headline real growth…

Growth slows but outlook positive The government has said in its 2019 budget it expects Tunisia’s economy to grow in 2019 by 3.1%, up from an estimated 2.6% this year.…

Damascus accused of gas attack as cover for airstrike A three-month-old deal to avoid a nal battle in the last rebel-held province of Syria looks to be under increasing strain.…

Ex-pat exodus lowers unemployment Unemployment among the local Omani population has dropped since the introduction of the ex-pat visa ban. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information, the…