ALGIERS- The Minister of Trade and Export Promotion, Kamel Rezig said Monday in Algiers that the African Transport and Transit Trade Symposium and Exhibition, opened Monday at the Palais des Expositions (Pins Maritimes), was an opportunity to strengthen trade between Algeria, Libya and other African countries.
In his opening address to this economic event, which is being held from January 30 to February 1, 2023, Mr. Rezig specified that this symposium, “hosted by Algeria for the first time, is the result of cooperation and an Algerian-Libyan coordination which aims to explore areas of cooperation, interaction and integration between Algeria, Libya and African countries in transport and transit trade”.
This event “reaffirms awareness of the importance of the challenges facing the peoples and economies of the countries of the region”, he said, noting that economists and businessmen are taking part in this symposium to try to find “opportunities capable of broadening their commercial and investment prospects, following the rule of win-win”.
“We will try, within this framework, to shed light on important trade issues through the development of a strategy capable of activating trade and increasing the volume of exports to the African market, so as to contribute to the achievement of common objectives and the strengthening of cooperation and economic integration”, added Mr. Rezig.
African countries must work together to mitigate the effects of the global economic crisis, by achieving economic integration, but also “by gradually integrating our economies into global value chains so as to develop economic sectors that contribute to the creation of jobs and the achievement of socio-economic prosperity for our peoples,” he said.
On this occasion, he called on businessmen and investors to “work together to increase the average economic growth, given the promising prospects of Algerian-Libyan trade which is part of the new dynamic that the two parties aspire to materialize through the establishment of close economic and trade relations between the two countries”.
For his part, the representative of the Libyan Ministry of Economy and Trade, Nouri Ali Mohamed Guettati insisted on the importance of intensifying efforts to face the various challenges through the implementation of action plans that promote the economic complementarity of the Arab Maghreb region in particular and North Africa in general.
During the first day of this symposium, the relationship between free zones and transit trade was discussed, while highlighting the role of this trade in the development of trade between African States.
In this regard, teacher Réda Saidi from Tunisia considered that “Algeria and Tunisia are a real gateway to Africa”, noting that the African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECAf) will have a great future on the African plane.
On the sidelines of the conference, an exhibition of various Algerian and Libyan products was organised, in addition to the participation of exhibitors from Tunisia and Niger, with the aim of popularizing these products and closely inquiring regarding the opportunities for investment.
It should be recalled that Mr. Rezig, who was accompanied by Mr. Guettati, had presided over the opening of the Colloquium, organized by the Council for Algerian Economic Renewal (CREA) and the business office +LinkUp+, under the aegis of the Ministry of Trade and Export Promotion and the Libyan Ministry of Economy and Trade.
The event has the participation of more than 100 operators from Libya, Tunisia and Niger, specialized in import-export, as well as Algerian operators representing companies active in various fields, such as the food and pharmaceutical industries, the steel industry, the wood, plastic and glass industry, packaging products and detergents.
The exhibition also saw the participation of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the participating countries and several official authorities concerned with export, banks and financial institutions and more than 200 economic operators activating in various economic fields.
