Algeria to develop high plateaux region

2006-08-15

The Algerian high plateaux region, a semi-arid zone between the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean coast, will be the site of a sustained industrial investment programme by the Algerian government. Developing this area will generate new jobs and create regional balance.

By Mohand Ouali for Magharebia in Algiers – 15/08/06

[File] Algeria hopes to ease overcrowding in some regions by developing less-populated ones

During a visit to Bordj Bourreridj on Sunday (13 August), Algerian Industry Minister Mahmoud Khedri said "directing investment towards the high plateaux is a strategic decision by the government." This decision, he said, is part of the steering plan for regional and sustainable development, which is aimed at relieving some of the pressure on northern Algeria in terms of industrial land.

The government wants to encourage investment in a largely unindustrialised part of the country and distribute the population more evenly. According to the National Office for Statistics, the Algerian population reached 33.2 million on 1 January.

According to the national report on millennium development targets published in 2005, more than 40 per cent of the population lives on the narrow coastal strip covering 2 per cent of the country. Nearly 91 per cent of the population lives on less than 13 per cent of the land.

The new government strategy is aimed at creating regional balance. The government intends to reduce unemployment and overcrowding by creating new jobs via the creation of areas of activity aimed particularly at small- and medium-sized businesses in the service and subcontracting sectors.

As part of the plan, the Bordj Bou Arreridj and Sétif regions will specialise in electronics, agribusiness and plastics. The city of Constantine will concentrate on mechanical engineering, while Annaba will develop its existing steel and metallurgical industries.

The plan calls for work to begin soon on the Bellara industrial area in Jijel and another similar area in western Algeria. Additionally, a programme to redevelop existing industrial areas is under way.