Djellab: “2020 Will Be The Year Of Opening Up To Foreign Investment”

The Minister of Trade, Said Djellab, confirmed that special industrial zones will be established in the border areas of southern Algeria, within the framework of diversification and marketing of national production.

Mr. Said Djellab, said on Monday in Algiers, that the 28th edition of the National Production Fair will be marked by the participation of more than 500 national companies, public and private, and a strong presence of military industries.

At a press conference at the headquarters of the Pins Maritimes Fairs and Exhibitions center (Safex), the Minister specified that this 28th edition of the National Production Fair, scheduled from 19 to 28 December 2019, will see the participation of more than 500 national public and private companies and startups, in addition to a strong presence of the military industrial units.

The Minister pointed out to this effect that more than 120 national participating companies are active in various fields, including manufacturing and food industries, the cement industry and the steel industry.
This edition will provide an opportunity for more than 50 startups to showcase their experiences in a pavilion that “will be a real incubator of ideas and opportunities”, he added, believing that this event will provide operators with an opportunity to establish a common vision of the future of national production and to highlight the production capacities of each exhibitor in addition to those of the military industry.
The Minister of Trade further underlined the importance of parallel activities, citing conferences and professional meetings bringing together public companies and their private peers to discuss integration opportunities, a meeting on marketing in public companies and another on the financing of start-ups with the participation of representatives of banks and companies.

The 28th National Production Fair will also witness the launch of a pilot awareness raising campaign across the wilaya or province of Algiers to encourage bakeries to use paper bags instead of plastic bags, the minister said.

In addition, 19 December will be the date of the launch of another campaign in favour of digitization and e-payment.

The Minister took this opportunity to announce that 2020 will be the year of the opening on foreign investment, after the abolition of rule 51/49 governing foreign investment in Algeria, in the 2020 Finance Law.

In the context of diversification and promotion of the national product, Mr. Djellab mentioned the creation of specific industrial zones, adding that priority will be given to the border areas in the south of the country in order to play the role of a driving force for Algeria’s economic integration in Africa.

He also indicated that the objective of these operations, which will be launched successively, is to develop a clear medium- and long-term vision for a competitive national economy that encourages youth and innovation and enables the country to play a pioneering economic role in Africa and the Mediterranean.

For his part, Safex Tayeb Zitouni’s General Manager highlighted the growth of the National Production Fair over the past two years, becoming the most important event organized by SAFEX.

This Fair, which will occupy an area of 22,352 m3, will record, for the 3rd consecutive year, the participation of companies belonging to the National People’s Army (ANP) with a total of 16 production units in the fields of the naval and aeronautical industry, the electronics industry and renewable energies, in addition to textiles and mechanics.

Regarding the distribution of economic activity, the Fair’s organizers reported 50 companies active in the assembly industry, 27 in the electrical and electronic industry and 69 others in the chemical and petrochemical industry.