Welcome to this week’s edition of our Weekly Risk Watch, offering insights into economic indicators, political shifts, and security updates that could impact your business or daily life, all in one concise package.
Economy and Markets
- The General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) is investigating public contracts awarded in the past three years due to concerns that winning companies misrepresented their tax documents by listing incorrect activities, This investigation highlights economic risks stemming from possible irregularities in public procurement processes.
- Delegates from AMFAM and MESFAM wrote to Minister Nadia Fattah Alaoui, expressing concerns over suspected irregularities in the expenses of their governing bodies. They specifically requested a detailed report on compensation paid to members for attending meetings since January 1, highlighting potential financial risks associated with governance practices within the cooperatives.
- Moroccan exporters can now resume exporting onions and potatoes to the African market, raising expectations about its impact on domestic prices and potential inflation.
- Moroccan economists and academics are discussing the implications of the tax statute of limitations, which, despite being tightly regulated, has raised concerns about its impact on public finances.
- Drought and scorching heat is still threatening Morocco’s agricultural returns and sectors. With higher temperatures and continued water supply challenges
Political Stability
- Authorities used water canons to disperse a medical professionals’ protest on Wednesday, fueling tensions within the national health sector.
- Medical students are standing up to the Ministries of Health and Higher Education despite threats of a null education year, maintaining exam and class boycotts, while organizing sit-ins and protests throughout Morocco, amplifying dissatisfaction from students and parents alike.
- Morocco’s parliamentary opposition staged a walkout from the House of Representatives during an oral questions session on Monday, in protest of Minister of Higher education’s absence amid sectorial deadlock. The walkout has increased tensions between the executive and legislative branches.
- Workers in Oujda, represented by the local unions of the Moroccan Federation of Labor, are preparing to march in protest tomorrow, citing grievances over ineffective intervention in labor issues. They criticize authorities for failing to uphold labor laws, protect worker rights, and resolve disputes affecting various sectors, production units, and universities. The unrest underscores growing discontent and potential challenges in labor relations and governance.
- The Ministry of Interior has initiated inquiries into local authorities in the Casablanca-Settat region following reports of violations and observations by the General Inspectorate’s committees. Specifically, communities like Oulad Azzouz and Dar Bouazza in the Nawasir region have received inquiries related to licenses and construction sector issues. Responses to these inquiries will inform subsequent reports to the regional governor, highlighting potential governance challenges and risks of local political unrest.
Cross-border
- Foreign students, specifically Moroccans in France are expressing anxieties as the country deals with political turmoil after recent legislative elections took the republic by storm.
- The geopolitical situation in the Red Sea, marked by ongoing attacks on container ships in the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, has led to a surge in sea freight rates between China and Morocco. The latest data show that, by mid-July, shipment prices had risen by between 160% and 220% year-on-year, posing significant challenges to Moroccan-Chinese trade.
- A group of Moroccans are refusing to return from Myanmar after reports of human trafficking, leveled against them by the families of young men detained there on the border with Thailand. Authorities confirmed the forced-labor Moroccan victims on the border were lured by Moroccan “agents,” raising mistrust of the diaspora residing in the Asian country.
Security
- Two bodies were discovered in separate locations near Imtalsa in the Driouch region. One body belonged to a homeless person found by a child, while the other was found on a farming farm and belonged to a local resident in his nineties, raising security concerns.
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In Rabat, police arrested a app-based car driver for allegedly verbally abusing and threatening violence against a female passenger. The arrest followed a complaint by the victim and a video posted on social media. The suspect is in custody pending a judicial investigation supervised by the public prosecution, amid continued tensions between app-transportation drivers and taxi professionals.
- Five people accused of transporting irregular migrants illegally were arrested by the Royal Gendarmerie in Berrechid on Monday, after some of the migrants passed away by drowning. The summer season is characterized by an increase in irregular migration attempts.
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