KOTAMA AGRI FOOD Mega-Complex Inaugurated in Jijel: A $42 Billion DZD Project to Cover 40% of Algeria’s Vegetable Oil Needs and 60% of Soy-Based Feed Demand
✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Algiers – September 2025 – The industrial landscape of Algeria entered a new phase on Monday as Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb inaugurated KOTAMA AGRI FOOD, a mega-complex for oilseed crushing and vegetable oil production that is poised to reshape the country’s agro-industrial map. The inauguration, coupled with an inspection of the Djendjen port expansion, underscored a dual sequence of economic pragmatism and political symbolism, anchoring Algeria’s commitment to food sovereignty, industrial recovery, and transparent governance.
Accompanied by the Minister of Interior, Saïd Sayoud, and the Minister of Industry, Yahia Bachir, the Prime Minister declared that “this site is not merely an infrastructure, it is the emblem of a regained will and the tangible proof that Algeria can recover projects once diverted by corruption and neglect.” His words were a pointed reminder of the project’s troubled past: a site that had reached only 20% completion while nearly 70% of its allocated funds had already been transferred abroad — a situation he denounced as outright dilapidation. According to him, it is through the “orientations of the President of the Republic” and the mobilization of “national engagement” that the project was revived and delivered.
The Prime Minister lauded the turnaround as a feat achieved by “100% Algerian expertise.” Between 7 and 8 million dollars were preserved for the national treasury, he noted, citing how a foreign engineering firm once demanded $6 million for services that were ultimately delivered by Algerian engineers and a domestic start-up at a fraction of the cost. This, he stressed, is “living proof that Algerian competence has nothing to envy from abroad.”
Beyond technical triumphs, Ghrieb emphasized the psychological renewal brought by the project: a regained confidence among Algerian engineers, managers, and workers who had long been marginalized. The completion of the complex, despite colossal technical hurdles and both internal and external obstructions, was achieved without ostentation, he remarked, “letting results and figures speak louder than rhetoric.” He pledged that every project financed by public funds will henceforth be conducted under strict standards of transparency, rigor, and efficiency, all within a framework of national sovereignty and global ambition.
For the government, KOTAMA AGRI FOOD embodies much more than an industrial success; it is a cornerstone in the strategy to curb imports and guarantee strategic self-reliance. With a capacity to process up to 6,000 tonnes of soybeans daily, amounting to 2.16 million tonnes annually, the plant is designed to cover 40% of Algeria’s needs in crude vegetable oils and 60% in soybean meal for animal feed. Its fully automated facilities meet modern safety standards, backed by logistics capable of storing 225,000 tonnes of raw materials and finished products.
The impact is expected to reverberate across the economy. At a cost of 42 billion dinars, the project will generate more than 350 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect ones, stimulating ancillary sectors ranging from port logistics to animal nutrition and agro-food transformation. In the words of Charaf Eddine Amara, CEO of Madar Group — the holding company overseeing the project — the complex stands as “a pillar of the New Algeria and a concrete milestone toward food sovereignty and strategic security.” Expressing gratitude to both the Prime Minister and the Head of State, Amara underscored the “heavy responsibility that comes with the trust of the State” while saluting the determination of Algerian workers and engineers who made the project a reality.
The broader vision is clear: Algeria aims not only to satisfy its domestic needs but also to project its agro-industrial capacity onto regional markets, particularly in Africa. For Sifi Ghrieb, the message was unequivocal: “Every project built with the people’s money must honor the people’s trust. Kotama is proof that Algeria can reclaim what was once lost, and transform decay into a driver of national pride.”
With its strategic scope, employment potential, and impact on the trade balance, KOTAMA AGRI FOOD is more than a factory — it is a national statement. It symbolizes the end of waste, the triumph of competence, and the dawn of a new industrial era where Algerian expertise and resilience set the standard.
Translated from:
https://www.horizons.dz/?p=353801
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