Luanda: In a speech delivered on his behalf by the Speaker of the Council of the Nation (upper house of Parliament), Azouz Nasri, at the opening ceremony of the III Luanda Summit on Financing Infrastructure Development in Africa, President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune emphasized the need to ensure the proper and effective implementation of priority projects across the continent.
According to Algeria Press Service, President Tebboune advocated for sharing technical and financial expertise among African nations and called for establishing a coordination mechanism involving African countries, the African Union (AU), and financial institutions. To achieve this goal, he stressed the importance of removing technical, procedural, and financial barriers that impede major projects, adopting flexible approaches tailored to regional specificities, strengthening public-private partnerships, prioritizing the mobilization of African resources before seeking external financing, and promoting innovative solutions, such as joint African sovereign funds.
He further underscored the necessity of prioritizing projects with genuine continental impact and capable of creating jobs, interconnecting economies, and bolstering food, energy, and digital security throughout Africa. Highlighting Algeria’s efforts, President Tebboune noted that the country is advancing some 50 major infrastructure projects under an ambitious national strategy to develop the economy and enhance competitiveness.
These projects relate to vital sectors, including two strategic railway lines: one linking the Gara Djebilet iron mine to Bechar (950 km) and another connecting the port of Annaba to the Djebel Onk region in Tebessa (420 km). They form part of a broader initiative to expand the transport network and foster economic integration. Additional projects include constructing five new seawater desalination plants in the wilayas of Oran, Tipasa, El Tarf, Boumerdes (Cap Djinet), and Bejaa.
President Tebboune also mentioned extending the Algiers metro to the international airport and several new cities, which will improve urban mobility and reduce emissions. As regards housing, Algeria is implementing an extensive program to build two million homes and develop major urban centers across provinces, addressing rising demand and promoting regional equilibrium.
Highlighting the role of digital transformation, Algeria is bolstering its technological infrastructure to emerge as a leading regional hub for telecommunications and the digital economy, thereby integrating into regional and global value chains. President Tebboune assured that achieving development goals demands a robust collective will to turn rhetoric into action and aspirations into tangible outcomes.
“Infrastructure is not merely architectural achievement,” he said, “but a tool for change and transformation, reflecting nations’ determination to forge a new Africa advancing resolutely toward prosperity and sovereignty.” “Continental integration will cease to be a slogan and become lived reality when our projects embody an authentic African vision, realistically and responsibly addressing our peoples’ socio-economic and environmental challenges,” he continued.
President Tebboune thus urged “stronger coordination between the AU and member states to pool efforts and accelerate priority projects.” He insisted on “creating a periodic evaluation and monitoring mechanism to ensure transparency, accountability, and the conversion of plans into impactful results for citizens.”
Reaffirming Algeria’s commitment, he emphasized that “building the future requires the active involvement of true change makers, especially youth, the continent’s vibrant core and primary source of innovation and renewal.” President Tebboune reiterated Algeria’s readiness to collaborate with African siblings and AU institutions to advance continental development goals and solidify integration, a cornerstone of a visionary Africa that is strong, united, prosperous, unified in voice, and propelled by shared resolve toward a brighter future.