Gara Djebilet – Béchar Mining Railway Project Generates Nearly 10,000 Jobs: Algeria Accelerates Economic Diversification Through Strategic Iron Ore Development

Gara Djebilet-Béchar Mining Railway Project Generates Nearly 10,000 Jobs: Algeria Accelerates Economic Diversification Through Strategic Iron Ore Development

✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada

With over 9,700 jobs created, including 7,200 for Algerians, the Gara Djebilet-Béchar railway and mining complex emerges as a keystone in Algeria’s southern industrial transformation, tapping into over 3.5 billion tons of iron reserves.

─────────────◆─────────────

Algiers, Algeria– Monday, July 14, 2025 | Algeria’s strategic push for economic diversification continues to take shape in the country’s southwest, where the mega-mining railway project linking Gara Djebilet to Béchar has already yielded substantial socio-economic benefits. Spanning a massive 950-kilometer corridor, the project is not only a flagship of industrial infrastructure but also a catalyst for job creation and resource monetization.

According to data from the Tindouf province authorities, the project has directly generated 9,700 jobs—7,200 of which were secured by Algerian workers, with the remaining 2,500 held by Chinese workers. This joint workforce effort underlines both Algeria’s commitment to local employment and its reliance on international expertise for major industrial undertakings.

Tindouf’s Wali, Mustapha Dahou, emphasized the transformative potential of this initiative during a recent press briefing, describing the region as undergoing a “dynamic resurgence.” He noted that the iron ore deposit at Gara Djebilet covers approximately 40,000 hectares and is believed to contain more than 3.5 billion tons of iron ore. The development is currently focused on the western section, which spans 15,000 hectares.

Initial extraction efforts have already yielded close to 400,000 tons of raw ore designated for primary processing. Dahou also revealed an extensive rollout of processing facilities, including six plants being brought online in phases. Two of these units have a processing capacity of 4 million tons per year, while additional plants are scaled for 8, 10, and 18 million tons annually. These figures signal a serious industrial ramp-up designed to position Algeria as a major regional player in the mining sector.

What sets this project apart, beyond its scale and ambition, is the incorporation of sustainable technology. Given the scarcity of water in the region, all industrial installations rely on advanced treatment methods that minimize water use. “The technology employed respects the environmental context of Tindouf,” Dahou confirmed, highlighting the government’s awareness of ecological constraints.

The mining operation itself is managed by Algeria’s state-owned enterprise FERAAL, while Chinese partners are tasked with constructing the processing plants in line with established contractual agreements. This synergy reflects a pragmatic model of South-South cooperation that leverages local sovereignty and foreign technical input.

Ultimately, the Wali asserted, the Gara Djebilet-Béchar project is emblematic of Algeria’s long-term strategy to reduce its dependency on hydrocarbons. “This is not just a mining project—it’s the materialization of a national vision to harness and industrialize Algeria’s immense natural wealth,” he declared. He further emphasized that the project carries the imprint of high-level national leadership, determined to convert the dream of Gara Djebilet into a tangible economic reality.

📡🌍 | About Dzair Tube Media Group | 🌍📡
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📰 Dzair Tube is a trailblazer in Algerian digital journalism, delivering high-quality content in Arabic, French, and English. With more than 📈 500,000 daily clicks, it ranks among the most influential media platforms in the country.

🏆 Awarded the President of the Republic’s Prize for Professional Journalist in the Electronic Press category (🗓 October 22, 2022), Dzair Tube is widely recognized for its editorial excellence and integrity.

📱 Massive Digital Reach:
🔴 350,000+ YouTube subscribers
🔵 6 million+ followers across Facebook pages
📸 450,000+ Instagram followers

🎥 Operating from state-of-the-art studios, Dzair Tube broadcasts rich and diverse programming, including:
🗞 News | ⚽ Sports | 🎭 Entertainment | 🕌 Religion | 🎨 Culture

🗣️ Featuring interactive talk shows and exclusive interviews with prominent figures from politics, business, arts, and more, Dzair Tube serves as a key platform for public discourse and civic engagement.

📰 Its print sports daily, “Dzair Sport,” enjoys over 50,000 daily downloads via the official website—further cementing the platform’s multimedia leadership.

🎖️ Honored with the Media Leadership Award by the former Minister of Communication, Mohamed Laâgab, and celebrated at the Hilals of the Television awards, Dzair Tube continues to lead with innovation, influence, and impact.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🌐 Stay Connected:
🔗 Website: www.dzair-tube.dz
🔗 English: www.dzair-tube.dz/en
📲 Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━