ALGIERS – The national construction materials industry has distinguished itself, especially in recent years, on the quantitative and qualitative levels, by building solid foundations allowing Algeria to move from the stage of importer to that of exporter. with ever-changing numbers.
Supported by major housing and public works projects, launched by public authorities and private operators, the building materials sector has made notable progress over the 60 years of independence, resulting in self-sufficiency in this field and generate surplus production for export to African, European and American markets.
This progress is achieved thanks to the development and investment policy put in place by the State within the framework of the various housing and infrastructure construction sites, undertaken throughout the national territory.
Also, the policies of import substitution and national preference, implemented, have resulted in the realization of projects with 100% Algerian building materials.
These results were materialized, thanks in particular to the existence of natural and human potentialities available to Algeria, in particular mineral wealth (deposits of gray and white cement, marble, granite, barite, gravel, clay, etc.) and the training of executives, researchers and highly qualified engineers in these sectors, as well as the construction of specialized laboratories and the creation of large companies fully invested in this field.
Thanks to the measures taken by the public authorities to encourage the use of local building materials in the various construction projects, a real national industry of building materials has been born, ensuring self-sufficiency in terms of cement, plaster, round concrete, ceramics and other necessary products.
According to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data on the state of public sector industrial production, the building materials sector has maintained steady growth in recent years, sometimes achieving double-digit growth.
In this area, the cement production activity stood out, thanks to the proliferation of projects for the construction of public and private cement works.
Production capacities are now increased to more than 40 million tonnes per year, while national needs are around 22 million tonnes, according to figures from the Ministry of Industry.
This overcapacity in terms of production had led industrialists in the sector to turn towards exports, following the example of the Groupe Industriel des Cements d’Algérie (GICA), whose income from the export of gray cement and unpulverized cement (clinker), will be around 1 billion dollars in 2022.
With 17 cement plants nationwide, GICA produces several types of cement suitable for different uses (routine masonry work, preparation of mortars, major works requiring high resistance, construction in aggressive environments and drilling of oil and gas wells).
In the opinion of several professionals in the sector, the export of Algerian cement is called upon to develop further in the coming years on international markets, hence the interest in investing more in storage and transport infrastructures for to be able to increase the export levels of this material.
A group set up to boost the ceramic industry
The ceramic sector is also one of the promising activities, the production quantities of which are significant, amounting to more than 200 million square meters/year for a national need estimated between 120 and 130 million square meters/year.
This sector also has an export potential which would exceed 80 million square meters per year, according to the Ministry of Industry, which has set up a working group including the main ceramic manufacturers capable of contributing to the organization and development of this sector which has already undertaken export actions to foreign markets.
The progress made by the building materials industry is also supported by the development of the national iron and steel industry.
This sector alone provides more than 500,000 tonnes per year of concrete reinforcing bars, wire rod and steel.
Today, Algeria has a very broad construction and building materials sector, encompassing companies specializing in the processing of raw materials, such as cement, clay, aluminum, wood and other raw materials. .
Companies have also specialized in the manufacture of plumbing, decoration, paint, aggregates, tools and machinery, as well as components and accessories for housing projects.
The country has, according to data from employers’ organizations, more than 100,000 companies of different sizes related to the construction and building sectors, and which employ more than 1.5 million people both on factory sites and units than on construction sites.