Marrakesh Hosts 2nd Annual North Africa Investor Conference

A view of Marrakesh, Morocco. (Getty Images)
A view of Marrakesh, Morocco. (Getty Images)
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Marrakesh Hosts 2nd Annual North Africa Investor Conference

A view of Marrakesh, Morocco. (Getty Images)
A view of Marrakesh, Morocco. (Getty Images)

Marrakesh will host the second Annual North Africa Investor Conference on Jan. 23-22, with the participation of international investors representing Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Renaissance Capital (RenCap), which initiated the conference, noted that this year’s session will cover topics such as competitiveness, and manufacturing in the MENA region. Special emphasis will be put on investment and growth opportunities in Morocco and Egypt.

This edition will witness the participation of giant investors from Mauritius, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, UK, US and other countries.

RenCap revealed that the total financial assets under management for participating investors exceed USD2 trillion.

It added that businessmen and companies from Egypt and Morocco booked 200 appointments with investors in the conference.

Amr Helal, Chief Executive Officer at Renaissance Capital, stated that choosing Morocco to host the conference launched from its progress in manufacturing in addition to being one of the most stable countries politically and economically.

Helal added that Morocco is anticipated to witness an economic growth from 4-6 percent in this decade. This would provide investment opportunities, given the Moroccan strategy in manufacturing.

He continued that the conference will also include an international seminar on manufacturing under a new economic approach. Political and industrial decision-makers, as well as prominent figures and businessmen from the region and the world, will take part in it.

Renaissance Capital had held the first Annual North Africa Investor Conference in South Africa in April. The focus of the conference was on Egypt, where RenCap opened a branch a year ago.



IMF Appoints First Mission Chief to Syria in 14 Years

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) police officer directs delegates as people arrive to the building during the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters in Washington, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) police officer directs delegates as people arrive to the building during the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters in Washington, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
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IMF Appoints First Mission Chief to Syria in 14 Years

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) police officer directs delegates as people arrive to the building during the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters in Washington, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) police officer directs delegates as people arrive to the building during the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters in Washington, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The International Monetary Fund has appointed Ron van Rooden as head of its mission to Syria, Syria's Finance Minister Mohammed Yosr Bernieh said in a written statement, making him the first country mission chief since war erupted there 14 years ago.
Bernieh said van Rooden's appointment came "following our request" and he shared a post on LinkedIn, showing himself shaking hands with van Rooden while attending the annual IMF-World Bank Spring meetings in Washington, D.C.
"This important appointment marks an important step and paves the way for constructive dialogue between the IMF and Syria, with the shared objective of advancing Syria's economic recovery and improving the well-being of the Syrian people," Bernieh wrote, according to Reuters.
The IMF press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A source familiar with the IMF's decisions on Syria confirmed van Rooden's appointment.
According to the IMF's website, Syria has had no transactions with the fund in the last 40 years. The last IMF mission trip to Syria was in late 2009, more than a year before protests against then-leader Bashar al-Assad erupted.
Assad's crackdown triggered a full-scale war that left much of the country destroyed before he was ousted in a lightning offensive by the opposition last December.
The new leaders have been keen to re-establish Syria's ties regionally and internationally, rebuild the country and secure the lifting of tough US sanctions to kickstart its economy.
Bernieh and Syria's central bank chief Abdelkader Husrieh are attending the annual spring meetings in Washington, the first time a high-level Syrian government team attends the meetings in at least two decades, and the first official visit by Syria's new authorities to the US since Assad's fall.
On Tuesday, the Saudi finance minister and the World Bank co-hosted a roundtable on Syria. Bernieh, in a separate LinkedIn post, described the roundtable as "very successful" and said there was "unprecedented" interest in supporting Syria's reconstruction.
A top official from the United Nations Development Program told Reuters last week the agency is planning to deliver $1.3 billion in support to Syria over the next three years.