55 African Markets Ignite “Fire” Between Algeria and Morocco

Algeria and Morocco are competing for 55 African markets in the framework of the free trade zone agreement, which will be followed by customs exemptions and economic integration among the countries of the group. As Algeria seeks to export its local products that are signed by 600 Algerian traders to African countries, and Morocco, which celebrated a week ago the production of 1 Million cars, focused on the continent’s markets to sell its surplus vehicles.

In this context, the foreign trade expert and chairman of the Export Consulting Association, Ismail Lalmas, told Echorouk: “Algeria is not yet ready to enter the African Free Trade Area (AFTA) experience, since our country has lost a lot because of the Partnership Agreement with the European Union, which was postponed from 2017 to 2020, and can be postponed for additional years in light of its inability to balance between the EU countries and what it imports from it, but it is capable of providing the necessary means to access the African markets strongly.

He added that the concept of free trade area is based on 5 stages to facilitate trade between 55 countries, and the establishment of this region is the first of these stages, followed by the customs union, then the establishment of the customs market, then the economic union and economic integration, so Algeria will face fierce competition for export to these countries, which faced a huge foreign export offer.

“Africa today is not the Africa of the seventies that accept any product enters its territory, so Algeria will face fierce competition from neighboring Morocco, and the European Union as well, and even the tide of China, which wants to invade the African continent of various products, and Africa today is open to various major economic forces and giants manufacturers of Europe, America, Asia and multinational corporations”.

The foreign trade expert wondered if the Algerian government prepared itself well before signing the contract with the countries of the African continent and set up the necessary mechanisms to accompany the Algerian exporters in this endeavor, such as quality assurance, transport, logistics and competitiveness with countries that have high export traditions and are capable of penetrating the market of African countries strongly.

He reiterated the experience of partnership with the European Union, which had negative results rather than positive for Algeria, which granted major customs’ facilities to the European partner in exchange for the absence of any Algerian product that enter the European market, explaining: “We should not be victims of our choices. Government should think carefully and do not go into new experiments in exchange for the absence of any guarantees for Algeria”.

He called on the Algerian authorities to provide various means to facilitate the export of Algerian products, asserting that a number of them found a way to the Gulf market, which showed interest in it, and may find its way to the African market, but must then provide the necessary facilities for exporters.