At the opening of the 32nd Algerian Production Fair, On Thursday, the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, took a close look at the significant progress made by Algerian production and service companies in various sectors, both in terms of quantity and quality, which has helped to reduce imports and increase non-hydrocarbon exports, asserting that the priority must remain satisfying local demand before considering exports.
Among the stands visited, the President of the Republic expressed his admiration for the achievements of the exhibiting companies, particularly at the stand of the Ministry of National Defense, where he described the military industry as ‘a model to be followed and the locomotive of national industry’, hoping that other companies would reach the level of this industry, which has achieved a record rate of integration.
At the same time, the President of the Republic stressed the need to ‘make no distinction between public and private military companies’, pointing out that they ‘all contribute to national production’.
He recalled that the policy advocated by the State in recent years to encourage local production had made it possible to ‘reduce the import bill by 40%’.
At the Fiat carmaker's stand, the President said that Algeria aspired to develop an automotive industry, including subcontracting for the manufacture of spare parts. He mentioned the possibility of launching investments with economic operators to meet the company's needs and raise the integration rate to 50%.
In order to protect national production, the President of the Republic has ordered a gradual reduction in imports of brake pads from 2025, following the success of a private Algerian company in covering the needs of the national market, as well as numerous companies and public bodies in this field.
At the stand of the Société Nationale de Sidérurgie (SNS), he stressed the importance of ‘adapting production to the needs of the national market, rather than focusing solely on exports’, particularly following the registration of 11,000 new projects with the Algerian Investment Promotion Agency (AAPI), requiring metal structures for their construction.
With regard to the agricultural equipment industry, the President of the Republic called on the Entreprise nationale de matériels agricoles et de pêche (ENMAP) to help organise the second-hand tractor market, while increasing local production.
At the Sonarem Group stand, the President of the Republic stressed the need for the projects currently under way in the mining sector to progress in parallel with the rail and mineral quay projects at the port of Annaba.
Concerning the projects for the five (5) seawater desalination plants currently under construction, the President of the Republic gave instructions for ‘the gradual launch of water distribution from these plants from the end of February 2025’, before the month of Ramadhan.
He also insisted on solving the problems of water distribution in the major cities, praising the experience acquired by the Algerian Energy Company (AEC, a subsidiary of the Sonatrach Group) in this field.
To promote renewable energies, the President of the Republic has given instructions for the gradual generalization of solar-powered public lighting from 2025, particularly in large cities, in order to reduce the heavy financial burden on municipal budgets.
Start-ups make their mark
Turning to the agri-food sector, the President of the Republic stressed at the ‘La Belle’ group stand that exports should only take place once the needs of the domestic market have been met.
At the CEBON stand, the President of the Republic said he was proud of the success and popularity of the El Mordjene spread around the world, and urged the company's owners to continue along this path and to consider producing hazelnuts locally.
Touring the start-up stands, the President of the Republic praised the progress made in the start-up sector, stressing that ‘thanks to young people, it is possible to create a strong, integrated and knowledge-based economy’.
In this respect, the President of the Republic gave instructions to open the way for start-ups to collaborate with international partners.
‘I believe in start-ups, because they represent the future of the country. We have reached 9,000 start-ups and I am committed to increasing this number to 20,000.
Algerians are creative and make their mark wherever they go’, he declared.
The President of the Republic also invited the major Algerian companies to support start-ups by financing their projects and research, pointing out that ‘knowledge is the real investment’.
On the subject of pharmaceutical production, the President of the Republic stressed the importance of Saidal regaining its role in ensuring the production of a greater proportion of medicines on the market ‘without impacting on the private sector’, insisting on the need for doctors to prescribe medicines available on the national market.
At the stand of the Council for Algerian Economic Renewal (CREA), the President of the Republic insisted on the introduction of a one-stop shop before January 2025, to simplify the procedures for investors.
At the opening of the Algerian Production Fair, a presentation made to the President of the Republic by the Minister for Internal Trade and Regulation of the National Market, Tayeb Zitouni, revealed that Algeria currently has more than 1.65 million production and service companies registered in the trade register and 186,725 economic operators nationwide, including more than 1,800 permanent exporters.
Under the slogan ‘Our production, the pillar of our sovereignty’, the 32nd edition of the Algerian Production Fair, which runs from 19 to 28 December, welcomes 603 exhibitors, including 84 exporters.
