Industry & Mining

While the economic contribution of industry is still relatively small, many of the key building blocks for a successful industrial sector are already established, with abundant energy reserves, mineral raw materials and infrastructure. Some segments of agri-business are well developed, and activity in heavy industrial such as steel and cement production is rapidly expanding. As the largest country in Africa, and home to a variety of topographies and geologies, Algeria has substantial mineral reserves. However, these are currently underutilised; the sector has attracted relatively little investment in recent decades, and as much as 60% of the territory has yet to be adequately explored, according to local estimates. While Algeria’s size and the need for infrastructure to exploit large mineral reserves in remote areas present a challenge for development, the government is keen to promote mining as part of broader diversification efforts, and the new mining law should help to attract investment in this regard.

This chapter contains interviews with Philippe Monestes, General Manager, Nestlé Algeria; and Amine Melouk, General Manager, SAREL.