ALGIERS, September 5, 2025 – The sessions on innovation debates began on Friday, on the sidelines of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025) at the Palais des Expositions des Pins Maritimes in Algiers. These discussions aim to explore strategies for fostering innovation, enhancing South-South cooperation, and supporting significant research initiatives across Africa.
In a statement to APS, Toufik Guendouzi, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, shared that these sessions will bring together educators, researchers, and economic stakeholders from Algeria and other African nations. Their objective is to develop strategies for “promoting innovation and strengthening South-South cooperation while bridging the gap between the industrial sector, scientific research, and technological development.”
The sessions also aim to identify ways to assist researchers and students in implementing their projects by creating connections between businesses and academic professionals. The outcomes of these discussions will culminate in a series of recommendations that will form the basis of the “Algiers Declaration.”
Guendouzi emphasized that the launch of this initiative at the Innovation stand, under the ministry’s guidance, “demonstrates Algeria’s strong commitment to advancing innovative projects, in line with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s directives aimed at aligning with global advancements.”
He further elaborated on the African Research and Innovation Hub, a digital platform designed to promote research and innovation in intra-African trade and support entrepreneurship. This platform “was developed with input from ministry officials and aims to facilitate connections between researchers and economic operators throughout Africa.”
The event will also feature a roundtable discussion with professors and experts addressing “the role of the African diaspora in technology transfer and its contribution to wealth creation,” as announced by Djilali Tassalit, Director of Technological Development and Innovation at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
The Innovation stand will highlight “a selection of exemplary innovation projects, some completed and others currently underway.” It will also host a “robotics challenge” for children from Algeria and other African countries, organized in collaboration with the Ministry of National Education, to encourage intergenerational exchange, according to the official.
Additionally, the nine winners of the “Best Research” challenge, initiated by Afreximbank in various fields, will be recognized during the event.
