In partnership with the U.S.-Algerian Business Council (USABC) and the Algerian Business Leaders Forum (FCE), the Foreign Commercial Service of the U.S. Embassy in Algeria led an Algerian business delegation to California and Nevada March 4-11. This U.S. Road Show – focusing on investment opportunities in construction, infrastructure, construction equipment, agriculture, and agribusiness – offered U.S. and Algerian public and private sectors an opportunity to discuss and engage in mutually beneficial partnerships.
In California, the representatives of 18 Algerian companies visited a dairy facility with 10,000 cattle, a powdered milk processing facility, two pistachio farms and nut processing facilities, and an olive farm. During the business to business meetings, at least three Algerian companies expressed interest in utilizing financing from the Export-Import Bank of the United States to buy U.S. products, and their applications are currently being processed.
In Las Vegas, Nevada the business delegation also joined another group of 20 Algerian delegates including senior representatives from the Ministry of Housing and chief executive officers from public housing and construction companies including CNERIB, CTC, LNHC, ENPI, AADL, and OPGI. They toured the CONEXPO 2017 trade show, one of the largest construction expositions in the world. Delegates also participated in a site visit to GigaCrete company, a fabricator of insulated walls and roof panels for custom applications.
During the trade show, the Embassy’s Foreign Commercial Service and USABC organized an Algeria Day Conference on March 10. The conference included panel discussions on “Doing Business in Algeria and Key Opportunities in the Construction Sector” and “Introducing Innovative Construction Material, Products, and Processes in Algeria – What Should I Know about the Regulatory Framework?”
During the event on March 10, 2017, GigaCrete Chairman Andrew C. Dennis and Modelco General Manager Moussa Mouhoubi signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish manufacturing facilities in Algeria. Among the partnership activities will be an exchange of information to determine the viability of manufacturing housing units that meet Algerian national housing standards, utilizing GigaCrete’s building materials that are environmentally sustainable and at very affordable prices compared to traditional building materials.
In addition to increasing trade in an important sector between the United States and Algeria, this partnership between GigaCrete and Modelco will achieve our mutual interest in facilitating technology transfer between the United States and Algeria and help diversify Algeria’s economy through investment in the manufacturing sector.
- The United States and Algeria Increase Commercial Cooperation in Agricultural and Construction Sectors (PDF 109kb)
