Africa Economy

One aspect of Algeria’s push to diversify national revenue sources away from the hydrocarbons sector is to strengthen activity in regional markets outside of cities like Algiers or Oran, to foster job creation in outlying wilayas (provinces) and cultivate secondary and tertiary industries throughout. While in many cases the initiatives...

Algeria’s economy has performed well over the past decade, often in the shadow of global uncertainty. Sensible macroeconomic policies, especially in managing oil and gas revenues cautiously, have helped Algeria navigate the global crisis as well as regional disruptions. Yet the goal of continued stability — and certainly the hope for more...

The $286bn that Algeria has set aside for infrastructure development under the current five-year development plan, which runs through 2015, has already had a sizable impact not only in terms of network capacity, but also on operational efficiency nationwide. New highways have been built, new tramways have begun operations, travel times are...

Algeria’s trade patterns have long been quite stable, with exports relying overwhelmingly (97%) on hydrocarbons and trade with the EU accounting for roughly half of the total. Bolstered by still-high oil prices into the first half of 2013, Algeria maintains beneficial terms of trade that allow it to run a consistent surplus.

Even amidst the constant change that now characterises North Africa, Algeria has charted a path of relative stability. This is largely due to its natural riches, with a vast array of oil and gas resources, that have made Algeria the fourth-largest economy on the continent after South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt, and the second-largest in North...