Algeria Targets $30 Billion in Non-Oil Exports by 2030 as Export Strategy Shifts from Market Entry to Industrial Scale

Algeria Targets $30 Billion in Non-Oil Exports by 2030 as Export Strategy Shifts from Market Entry to Industrial Scale

Non-hydrocarbon exports rose 16% in the first quarter of 2026, but sustaining the momentum will depend on deeper local value creation, repeat export contracts, lower logistics costs and adaptation to Europe’s tightening carbon rules.

By Dr. Hana Saada

ALGIERS, Algeria — Algeria’s non-hydrocarbon exports rose 16% in the first quarter of 2026 from a year earlier, strengthening the government’s push to reach $30 billion in non-oil exports by 2030 after breaking through the $7 billion threshold in recent years.

The challenge is increasingly moving beyond securing initial export deals to building an industrial base capable of retaining overseas customers, renewing supply contracts and generating greater domestic value.

Economist Dr Houari Tigharsi argues that the more meaningful measure of export performance is the number of Algerian companies able to maintain a regular presence in international markets and secure repeat supply contracts.

Export momentum gathers pace

Several developments in 2026 illustrate the expansion of Algeria’s export drive. On April 11, a collective operation involving 35 shipments of manufactured products from 13 provinces was launched towards 19 countries.

Two weeks later, 20,000 tonnes of white cement were exported through Annaba port to Guatemala. On April 25, 33 commercial shipments left Tindouf for the Mauritanian market.

In May, Algeria exported its first shipment of locally manufactured car batteries to Cameroon, under an industrial partnership between Stellantis Algeria and Fabcom. The same month, 52 commercial agreements were signed across industry, mining, cables and services during the Algerian Economic Exhibition in Nouakchott.

The expansion is supported by an investment pipeline overseen by the Algerian Investment Promotion Agency, which recorded more than 19,000 investment projects between November 2022 and December 2025, representing a declared value of about $61 billion (8,242 billion dinars).

More than 7,600 projects are directly aimed at replacing imports with domestic production and are expected to create around 270,000 direct jobs. The development of this production capacity could allow companies to satisfy domestic demand while directing surplus output towards foreign markets and improving economies of scale.

Logistics become central to competitiveness

For Algerian exporters, competitiveness increasingly extends beyond the factory gate. Transport costs, administrative procedures and access to trade-finance and insurance services are becoming critical components of the export equation.

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Export Promotion announced in May plans for a digital one-stop platform for exporters, intended to accelerate customs and administrative procedures.

Air freight capacity is also being developed. In April, Air Algérie and Algeria’s airport-management company signed a memorandum of understanding covering the creation of a modern air-cargo hub at Algiers airport.

Meanwhile, export-credit insurer CAGEX has expanded its African services through Algeria’s overseas banking network in Mauritania and Senegal, providing additional mechanisms for managing export-credit risks.

Europe’s carbon rules raise the stakes

European markets present a further challenge as the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) entered its definitive phase on January 1, 2026.

The mechanism directly affects several sectors relevant to Algeria’s non-hydrocarbon exports, including cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilisers and electricity.

Maintaining competitiveness in European markets will therefore increasingly require investment in energy efficiency and lower-carbon production, rather than relying solely on price competitiveness.

At the same time, deeper integration with African markets through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offers Algeria an additional route for diversifying export destinations and reducing exposure to individual markets.

The emerging export strategy thus faces a dual test: turning investment and first-time shipments into durable industrial capacity while ensuring Algerian products can compete under increasingly demanding environmental and logistical standards.