Transport

Meeting the demand for transport infrastructure in Africa’s largest country is a priority for the government. The current five-year development plan includes a major sector reconfiguration programme that allocates around €6.9bn to the upgrade, extension and construction of strategic segments, primarily maritime and rail. Traffic congestion and overdependence on road transport, inefficiencies in maritime freight management and a growing demand for urban transport are among the priorities to be tackled, as well as the construction of El Hamdania deepwater port, which will establish Algeria as a maritime hub. The rapid rate at which urban areas in Algeria are developing has led to an expansion in public transport construction between major cities. Since establishing the first metro line in 2011, the country has installed tramways and a dense network of bus lines, and is pushing ahead with additional development of both hard and soft transport infrastructure.

This chapter contains interviews with Bernard Arkas, Executive Vice-President, Arkas Holding; and Wissam El Moukahal, CEO, Entreprise de Transport Algérienne par Câbles.