Morocco: High Planning Commissioner Calls for Exploiting Inflation to Encourage Growth

High Planning Commissioner Ahmed Lahlimi Alami speaks during a news conference at the Royal Mansour Hotel in Casablanca, Morocco, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)
High Planning Commissioner Ahmed Lahlimi Alami speaks during a news conference at the Royal Mansour Hotel in Casablanca, Morocco, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)
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Morocco: High Planning Commissioner Calls for Exploiting Inflation to Encourage Growth

High Planning Commissioner Ahmed Lahlimi Alami speaks during a news conference at the Royal Mansour Hotel in Casablanca, Morocco, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)
High Planning Commissioner Ahmed Lahlimi Alami speaks during a news conference at the Royal Mansour Hotel in Casablanca, Morocco, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

High Planning Commissioner Ahmed Lahlimi Alami noted that the majority of emerging economies are witnessing an inflation rate of more than seven percent, while inflation in Morocco rated less than one percent.

He criticized the government for encouraging foreign investment by major companies rather than empowering small and medium enterprises.

At a press conference he held in Casablanca on the economic situation in 2019 and its outlook in 2020, Lahlimi expected Morocco’s growth rate to drop from 3 to 2.7 percent this year due to the decline in the agricultural sector’s net output.

He expected the non-agricultural sector to witness a growth from 2.8 to 3.2 percent in 2018.

The Moroccan auto industry will witness a 6 percent relapse due to the global market crisis, he added.

This sector – highly supported by the government – has made a remarkable achievement, forming more than 20 percent of total Moroccan exports, Lahlimi said.

He demanded the government to adopt an expansionary fiscal policy to back economic growth and allow the government to pay off its debt.



Russia's Novak: Oil Market Balanced Thanks to OPEC+

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais attend a news briefing in Moscow, Russia November 22, 2024.  REUTERS/Olesya Astakhova
Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais attend a news briefing in Moscow, Russia November 22, 2024. REUTERS/Olesya Astakhova
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Russia's Novak: Oil Market Balanced Thanks to OPEC+

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais attend a news briefing in Moscow, Russia November 22, 2024.  REUTERS/Olesya Astakhova
Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais attend a news briefing in Moscow, Russia November 22, 2024. REUTERS/Olesya Astakhova

The global oil market is balanced thanks to the actions of OPEC+ countries and compliance with its quotas, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday following a Russia-OPEC meeting.
OPEC+ countries, which are pumping around half the world's oil, are taking all necessary decisions to maintain market stability, Novak also said after meeting OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais in Moscow.
"Today, while discussing the situation and forecasts, we assess the current market as balanced. That's thanks primarily to the actions of OPEC+ countries and coordinated actions to comply with the quotas, voluntary commitments of OPEC+ count," Novak said.
The meeting comes as OPEC+, which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies such as Russia, prepares to meet on Dec.1.