Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
September 9 , 2006

USD 44Mn Fund to support transport reforms set up.
Textile association employs 75% of the industry workforce.
AFESD lends Morocco USD 50Mn to spread IT in public education institutions.
Tourism : Vision 2010 bearing fruit, minister
North Africa: Doing Business 2007 - Morocco is top reformer in the Middle East and North Africa. 
Germany grants Morocco USD 6Mn to support INDH.
Designers Eye: Morocco's Mystique Part III.

USD 44Mn Fund to support transport reforms set up.
Rabat, Sep. 5

A MAD 400Mn fund, about USD 44.44Mn, was created to support the reforms of the transport sector, Moroccan Transport Minister Karim Ghallab, said here on Monday at a meeting on accompanying measures to the rise of gas prices, attended by representatives of the sector's road commodities shipping and passengers.

Ghallab said the half of the fund monies are to be spent on inter-town road goods and passengers transportation, and half on town urban transports. Joint committees are to be set up to consider the proposals made by the professionals to be integrated in the 2007 appropriation bill, he went on to say.

The sector's liberalization needs structural reforms to help it adapt to development, overture and competition, he said, adding this in turn needs the identification of referential costs for transport operations taking into account the new prices.

Gas prices increased between 52 to 59 centimes per liter as of September 2, while butane gas prices remained unchanged. The previous prices ranged between MAD 7.89 and 11.7 per liter. A Moroccan MAD is about nine US dollars - one MAD is 100 centimes. Industrial fuel which used to sell MAD 3,374 per ton was increased MAD 67 per ton.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/usd_44mn_fund_to_sup/view
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Textile association employs 75% of the industry workforce.
Casablanca, Aug. 30

The Moroccan textile and apparels association (AMITH) employs 75% of the sector workforce and pays 80% of the salaries of the textile and garments industry, said AMITH president, Karim Tazi. Tazi told an Australian MP delegation, visiting the Hay Moulay Rachid industry zone of Casablanca for a working session with the association officers, the AMITH also earns 76% of the sector's turnover and exports 92% of its output. He added European Union countries remain the main customs of Moroccan textile products, including France that buys 38% of the production, Spain 30% and the United Kingdom 18%.

The Australian representatives visited on the occasion an industrial ready-made unit, located in the zone. The delegation also had talks with Casablanca City Council president, Mohamed Sajid, who said Casablanca accounts for 30% of the economic activity of the country, citing several investment projects that could interest foreign businessmen in the city.

The MPs started on Monday a few day visit to the North African kingdom and had met several Moroccan peers and officials, with whom they discussed political, economic and other issues, as well as cooperation opportunities in water management and new technologies.

Including Liberal and Labor MPs, the Australian delegation met Deputy-Speakers of the Moroccan parliament, parliamentary delegations, Industry and Trade Minister, Salaheddine Mezouar and Energy and Mining Minister, Mohamed Boutaleb. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/textile_association/view
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AFESD lends Morocco USD 50Mn to spread IT in public education institutions.
Rabat, Aug. 29

The Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) lent Morocco MAD 450Mn, around USD 50Mn, to spread Information Technologies in the public education sector. The convention on the loan, that is granted with an interest annual rate of 4.5% and repayable over a 22 year period, including four years of grace, was signed here on Tuesday by Finance Minister, Fathallah Oualalou, and AFESD Director General, Abdellatif Youssef Al Hamad.

Under the convention, 8.600 multimedia class rooms are to be set in public education institutions and outfit with 100.000 computers connected to Internet. About 230,000 teachers and inspectors are to be trained in the use of computers. The Kuwait-based AFESD was established in 1971 by member countries of the Arab League. It lent Morocco a total of MAD 22.5Bn.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/afesd_lends_morocco/view
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Tourism : Vision 2010 bearing fruit, minister

Morocco expects to register a flow of 6.5 million tourists in 2006, said the Minister of Tourism, the Craft industry and Social Economy, Adil Douiri. Since the launching of the 2010 vision, the number of nonresident tourists is continuously increasing and it is expected that the number of tourists who will have visited Morocco by the end 2006 will have reached 6.5 million, underlined Douiri at the opening of the first regional meeting on tourism in the Meknès-Tafilalet region.

The vision 2010, launched in 2001 by HM King Mohammed VI, has started to bear fruit, stressed the minister, adding that the number of beds created each year has passed from 1,500 between the years 1996-2000 to 10,000. The vision envisages the reception of 10 million tourists and the creation of 160,000 additional beds and 600,000 jobs.

Night stays have also registered an increase of 18% in 2004 and 16% in 2005 and they are expected to know another significant increase in 2006, he added, underlining the need for following a methodology of effective, rational and clear action for all parties concerned to achieve the set goals.

The Moroccan official underscored that to achieve the objectives of the 2010 vision, the Ministry, in partnership with professionals, has worked out four programmes aiming at the creation of 6 seaside resorts of a 80,000-beds accommodation capacity, the reinforcement of the traditional tourist destinations (80,000 beds), the consolidation of interior tourism and the development of local and regional tourism.

Concerning the promotion of regional tourism, the minister indicated that his department has set up a region-oriented programme for this purpose, which will make it possible to increase the capacity of reception and to create a tourist product specific to the region. Douiri stressed however that these regional programmes can be implemented only with the cooperation and partnership between representatives, professional and the local administration.

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North Africa: Doing Business 2007 - Morocco is top reformer in the Middle East and North Africa. 
September 6, 2006   Washington, DC

Morocco was the top reformer in the region on the ease of doing business in the Middle East and North Africa in 2005-2006, according to a new report by the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Morocco cut the cost of starting a business, complying with tax regulations, and doing property transfers, all measures that can help support job creation-an urgent challenge across the whole region. Egypt, a global top-10 reformer in last year's report, continued to reform but at a slower pace. Seventeen regulatory reforms-in 10 economies in the region-reduced the time, cost, and hassle required for businesses to comply with legal and administrative requirements. More countries in the region are reforming compared with last year. The region ranks fourth in the world on the pace of reform, up two places from last year.

Doing Business 2007: How to Reform, covering 175 economies, finds that the top 10 global reformers are, in order, Georgia, Romania, Mexico, China, Peru, France, Croatia, Guatemala, Ghana, and Tanzania. Reformers simplified business regulations, strengthened property rights, eased tax burdens, increased access to credit, and reduced the cost of exporting and importing. Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen, each implemented at least one reform. There were no reforms in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, or the West Bank and Gaza.

Doing Business 2007 also ranks 175 economies on the ease of doing business-covering 20 more economies than last year's report. The top-ranked countries in the region are Israel (26), Saudi Arabia (39), and Kuwait (45).

The top 30 economies in the world, in order, are Singapore, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Hong Kong (China), the United Kingdom, Denmark, Australia, Norway, Ireland, Japan, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Lithuania, Estonia, Thailand, Puerto Rico, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Korea, Latvia, Malaysia, Israel, St. Lucia, Chile, South Africa, and Austria.

The rankings track indicators of the time and cost to meet government requirements in business start-up, operation, trade, taxation, and closure. They do not track variables such as macroeconomic policy, quality of infrastructure, currency volatility, investor perceptions, or crime rates.

Morocco, the region's top reformer, improved in three of the 10 areas studied by Doing Business. It reduced the minimum capital required to start a new business from 100,000 to 10,000 dirham. It also eased transfer of property by cutting the transfer tax from 5 percent to 2.5 percent of the property's value and simplified its tax rules by combining multiple tax regulations into one source, making compliance easier.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200609060088.html
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Germany grants Morocco USD 6Mn to support INDH.
Rabat, Sep. 8

Germany has granted Morocco USD 6.3Mn to support the National Initiative for human Development (INDH), said German Minister for Economic Development, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul. The announcement was made at a press briefing, here Friday, at the end of a meeting between the visiting German minister and Moroccan Prime minister, Dris Jettou.

The Federal minister said "Morocco is a very important partner for Germany and Europe in general" and this contribution is another move in the already traditional cooperation between the two countries in various fields. The German minister also hailed "Morocco's resolve to progress in the exemplary reforms launched by the country and to promote cooperation with the European Union."

Moroccan Prime Minister Driss Jettou, for his part, underlined that Germany is a privileged partner at the European Union, and it supports the Kingdom in many development programs. Among the privileged sectors of this cooperation, the Prime Minister cited notably rural electrification program, drinking water supply program in rural areas and vocational training.

The INDH is a large-scale, social initiative designed to provide basic infrastructure to millions, from adequate housing and drinking water to health care and education. The German official arrived Thursday to Morocco on an official visit. She is heading an important delegation including MPs, top ranking officials and executives of two German development agencies, KFW (the German Dveleopmnet Agency) and GTZ (the German technical cooperation Agency). http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box3/germany_grants_moroc/view
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Designers Eye: Morocco's Mystique Part III.
Thursday, August 31, 2006

Jenna Eckert and Abdul Akdi of Mint Tea Moroccan Imports
The art of making vessels and objects from clay is one of the most ancient, and in some cases can be traced back to the beginning of known human civilization. Moroccan pottery dates back to the Berbers using the hand-coiling technique, a method common to many parts of the Mediterranean during the Neolithic epoch. The Carthaginians revolutionized this tradition when they introduced the use of the wheel to North Africa. And while the use of the wheel spread to many areas of the Mediterranean, the Berbers, a group of fiercely independent peoples living throughout Northwest Africa, preserved the ancient method of hand-coiling, still practiced today.

Quite different in appearance from their glazed, city produced cousins, decorated Saharan and Berber terracotta ware has a rough, unfinished, utilitarian feel, with marked similarities to that of ancient Greece and Carthage. Practiced primarily by Berber women using the hand-coiling technique, there are regions where Berber men, using a lathe as a wheel, also produce pottery. The difference lies in the fact that pots made by women are mainly for use by the family, and those made by men are transported for sale in the city souks.

While not as commonly seen throughout Morocco, Berber pottery is sought by collectors worldwide and perhaps used more often in home decor magazines for their striking tribal, historic appearance.

Sometime during the 8th and 9th centuries, the use of glazed and enameled earthenware arrived in Morocco. Mostly used for culinary and tableware use, it became an urban tradition practiced exclusively by men. The craft and technique continued to grow in the city centers, however it was in the 15th century when the craft of ceramics truly became important in Morocco. Moors skilled in pottery fled Spain for Morocco, settling in Fez, Meknes, Safi and Marrakech. Here the men rebuilt their kilns and for the next four centuries, Moroccan potters, particularly those in Fez, prospered and produced some of the finest examples of their trade in the Islamic world.

Although there was a decline in the quality and quantity produced in the early 20th century due to industrialization and importation of mass-produced pottery from Europe, during the French Protectorate, many Moroccan potters were sent to Sevres, France to learn new techniques. Both local as well as European markets were quick to support their new work, again revitalizing the craft.

Today, thousands of Moroccan potters pound clay, spin wheels, and shape the myriad bowls, vases, tagines (cooking dishes), roof and mosaic tiles that continue to be made in the country's historic pottery centers. The urban tradition of ceramics -- painted and glazed or enameled ware -- is the exclusive province of men. Traditional Andalusian-inspired, polychrome enameled pottery made in Fez is the most respected in Morocco, and is blue and white, though yellow, green, black and brown glazes are also common. Fez pottery comes in a multitude of shapes and uses and are found in shops throughout the country. In the town of Safi on the Atlantic Ocean are the country's oldest kilns, more than two hundred years old and still in operation. Here, potters produce fanciful, repetitive designs on turquoise, white and cream-colored backgrounds. And in Marrakech where the craft of metal work is also a highly skilled and practiced trade, metal workers solder soft metals on top of ceramic vessels. The result can be a fine filigree harmoniously following the underlying painted pattern, or a more contrasting, striking appearance on solid colored pottery. In recent years this blending of metal on ceramics has become quite popular in home decor settings and exported in large quantities.

The other significant segment of urban ceramic production is in making zillij tiles. Derived from Byzantine and Roman mosaics, zelliges, or wall tiles, are Morocco's great specialty, both in the skill with which they are made and because of the expertise with which they are laid. After preparing the raw clay, it is formed into rectangular slabs that are dried in the sun, coated with a colored glaze and fired. From these tile slabs the unique aspect of making zelliges begins. First, a designer traces intricate patterns on the slabs. Then another specialized artisan uses what looks like a two-sided hammer sharpened on both sides to carefully hand chisel the often thumbnail sized zelliges from the slab pieces. Once filed smooth and sorted according to the intended pattern, the zelliges are then taken to the job site and a final artist sets them into elaborate mosaic patterns. In days past or in grand homes, palaces and mosques built today, entire walls can be adorned in this way creating a hypnotic landscape for the visual senses. While not as grand in scale, a trend towards producing home furnishings incorporating the use of zillig tiles has become quite popular. Today you can find tables of all sizes and function, fountains, picture frames, even chairs using this process of mosaic tiling.

Morocco is arguably one of the most artistically rich and vibrant countries still producing handcraft items based on centuries old traditions while incorporating fresh ideas and designs brought in by foreigners from around the world. We invite you to visit our shop, Mint Tea Imports in downtown Vancouver's Uptown Village neighborhood, where we personally import such handcraft items from Morocco. Our next trip is this autumn with a new supply of merchandise arriving by the end of November.

Mint Tea Moroccan Imports
2306 Main Street,Uptown Village,Vancouver, WA 98660
Phone:360.699.4991
Email: imports@mintteaimports.com
Website: www.mintteaimports.com v
HYPNOTIC DECOR:
In days past or in grand homes, palaces and mosques built today, entire walls can be adorned in mosaic tiling creating a hypnotic landscape for the visual senses.
http://www.columbian.com/lifeHome/lifeHomeNews/08312006news55297.cfm
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