Algeria, Qatar eye to reinforce bilateral cooperation

Algeria and Qatar work, on the occasion of the 5th High Joint Commission Sunday in Doha (Qatar), to reinforce their economic cooperation and enlarge new fields, to be added to the cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding, which are beginning to bear fruit on the ground.
Besides, the permanent political consultations on Arab and international issues of common interest, Algeria and Qatar are bound by agreements in various economic sectors, including mining, marine transport, oil and gas, petrochemicals and agriculture.
Bellara Steel Plant: model of efficient South-South partnership
The Bellara Steel plant in the province of Jijel (359 km east of Algiers), launched on 19 December 2013 in partnership between the two countries is a successful model of the South-South cooperation.
This "strategic and structuring" project will allow producing in first place 2.5 million tons of concrete reinforcing bars and 500,000 tons of wire rods per year before eventually reaching a production capacity of 4 million tons / year.
The two billion project will complement those already implemented to meet the needs of the domestic market for steel products. The project whose completion dates are estimated at 48 months will be operational in the first half of 2017.
In addition to the creation of 1,500 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect others s, Bellara steel plant is meant to reduce Algeria’s steel import bill, estimated at $ 10 billion per year, i.e. 20% of total imports of the country.
The Algerian-Qatari High Joint Commission is undoubtedly the opportunity to review this project and prepare for the launch of similar projects in other sectors given the significant natural and human resources that contains the country and which are likely to make of it (Algeria) an attractive hub for industrial investment in the Mediterranean region and Africa, according to the project of national renewal of the program of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.