The relationship between foreign trade and economic growth in mena countries

Middle East and North African (MENA) countries, especially non-oil countries, follow strict trade policies as most countries have a weak gross domestic product. In addition to laws limiting the ability of these countries to trade in ways that increase economic growth, they cannot compete in industrial and commercial markets. This study examines the relationship between foreign trade and economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa region. This study will emphasize the variables of labor, capital, oil revenues, foreign direct investment, and foreign trade and their effects on economic growth. The study will realize these effects with panel data between 2000-2020 and the help of the Westurlund Co-integration model and FMOLS estimator. According to the study results, we concluded that there is a statistically significant and long-term positive relationship between trade, oil rents, employment, foreign direct investment, and economics. In contrast, the results showed a long-term relationship between the capital variable and GDP. However, no statistically significant relationship was found between the capital variable and economic growth. The study results indicate that foreign trade in MENA countries positively contributes to economic growth. Keywords: Labor force, capital, oil revenues, foreign direct investment, trade, and economic growth.