A number of ambassadors from several African countries praised the strong momentum characterizing trade exchanges between Algeria and the African countries, describing it as the product of firm political will and a strategic drive behind efforts to diversify the economy and strengthen commercial exchange outside the hydrocarbons sector.
On the sidelines of trade fair showcasing Algerian export-oriented products and services being held in Tindouf, the ambassadors highlighted that the initiatives launched by Algeria, particularly through the organization of economic exhibitions and the intensification of bilateral meetings, contributed to opening new horizons before economic operators and strengthened the presence of Algerian products in African markets, especially in the western region of the continent.
They also underscored the importance of upgrading infrastructure and facilitating export procedures as key drivers of African economic integration and the development of mutually beneficial partnerships.
In this respect, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to Algeria, Sidi Mohamed Abdallah, said in a statement to APS that the city of Tindouf has become a strategic gateway for Algeria toward West African markets, praising the growing role of the fair in promoting trade exchanges between Algeria and Mauritania.
He noted that this economic event has increasing importance as a platform for promoting Algerian products toward markets comprising more than 150 million consumers in the West African region.
He added that trade exchanges between Algeria and Mauritania have recorded accelerated growth, reaching a volume of around USD500 million, with expectations of a rise following the completion of the road project linking Tindouf (Algeria) and Zouerate (Mauritania), which would enhance the fluidity of exchanges and raise their pace.
The Ambassador pointed out that Algerian products enjoy wide acceptance in the Mauritanian market, where they are redirected toward West African countries, benefiting from the annual exhibition of Algerian products hosted by Mauritania, which saw in its previous edition the participation of more than 220 Algerian companies, a figure expected to rise to approximately 300 in the upcoming edition.
He also pointed out the existence of advanced consultations between the two countries to conclude a preferential agreement covering a list of goods from both sides, under which they would be exempted from customs duties, contributing to the liberalization of trade exchanges and the development of border regions.
He noted that the Algerian-Mauritanian relations are experiencing a distinguished level, particularly on the political front, while economic cooperation has recently become a fundamental pillar of these relations, supported by major structural projects, such as the road link and the border free-trade zone.
He said that the opening of the border crossings between the two countries, at the initiative of their two leaderships approximately a year and a half ago, has given a strong impetus to trade exchanges, embodying the shared willingness to strengthen bilateral cooperation and respond to the two people’s aspirations.
For his part, the Ambassador of the Republic of Senegal, Mbaba Coura Ndiaye, affirmed that Algeria has demonstrated its will to strengthen cooperation with the African countries, pointing to the inauguration of the Algerian-Senegalese Bank as a concrete indicator of efforts to facilitate investment and trade between the two countries and with the broader African continent.
He added that this bank aims to support the Algerian and Senegalese economic actors in developing investments, alongside accompanying the initiatives of multilateral institutions aimed at achieving fair and inclusive growth in Africa, stressing the necessity of strengthening this cooperation within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
For his part, the Ambassador of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Haji Prima Elvis Koroma, stressed the importance of this event in promoting Algerian exports towards the African interior, in light of the growing interest from economic operators in accessing African markets through the Mauritanian gateway, which reinforces the dynamics of regional economic integration.
He also praised Algeria’s longstanding support for African nations and its role in fostering continental solidarity, pointing to a shared ambition to take bilateral cooperation between the two countries to new heights.
The First Secretary at the Embassy of Guinea, Mohamed Abderrahmane, stressed the importance of developing intra-African trade and strengthening cooperation and connectivity among the countries of the continent in order to achieve economic integration within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area, alongside the necessity of exploiting the continents’ significant resources.
The activities of this economic event organized under the slogan “Tindouf, Gateway for Exports to West African Countries” continue, with the participation of 104 Algerian enterprises active in the fields of production and services, alongside 45 artisanal enterprises, with the aim of showcasing national capacities and promoting the Algerian product in its various forms.
