Algeria

Algeria is a large market with the most procedural import regime in Africa, and understanding that regime is most of the work. Imports must be settled through a documentary credit opened with an Algerian bank - cash against documents is not generally available for commercial imports - and registration, licensing and local-content rules apply to a range of goods. EMM ships through Algiers, Oran, Annaba, Skikda and Djen Djen, and we plan Algerian orders around the banking timeline rather than the production timeline, because the credit is almost always the long pole.

Hydrocarbons and import substitution

Oil and gas in the Hassi Messaoud and Hassi R'Mel fields and the processing complexes on the coast are the economic base, buying pumps, valves, compressors, heat exchangers, separators, generator sets, welding and pipe-fitting plant and heavy workshop equipment. Government policy has pushed hard on producing domestically what was previously imported, and that is where the growth in our order book is: cement, steel including the Bellara complex, ceramics, glass, plastics, packaging, electrical appliances, pharmaceuticals and vehicle assembly. Food processing is substantial - flour and semolina milling, pasta, dairy, oil refining, beverage bottling, date processing and canning. Agriculture in the high plateau and the Saharan irrigation schemes takes pivots, pumps, drip systems, greenhouses and cold storage. Construction remains large across housing and infrastructure.

Documentation and conditions

Arabic and French documentation, labelling and panel markings are expected and in several categories required. Technical files and certificates of origin need to be exact - discrepancies between the credit, the invoice and the goods cause real delays here. Mains voltage is 230 V, with 400 V available on three phase at 50 Hz. The Saharan south brings extreme heat and dust, which calls for high ambient ratings and heavy filtration; the coastal north is temperate Mediterranean.

Send us your bank's documentary credit requirements with the enquiry and we will build the quotation to match them exactly.