Africa’s largest country offers opportunity for investors willing to navigate heavy bureaucracy and an unpredictable business environment.
In July, Baladna, a Qatari firm famous for raising cows in the desert, signed a $500 million deal with Algeria’s National Investment Fund to launch the first phase of a $3.5 billion agro-industrial project in the Adrar region. Spanning 117,000 hectares and housing 270,000 cows, the mega-farm aims to cover half of Algeria’s demand for powdered milk and create 5,000 jobs.
The landmark project, held 51% by Baladna and 49% by Algeria’s Ministry of Agriculture, perfectly embodies what Algiers wants: to boost local production with the help of foreign partners while retaining substantial government control over the economy.
With a population exceeding 4...