• Algeria launches a digital platform to track import programs for resale activities.

• Authorities aim to curb foreign currency outflows and improve market supply management.

• The reform supports a broader strategy to reduce imports and boost non-hydrocarbon exports to $29 billion by 2030.

Algeria is accelerating the digitalization of trade procedures as part of a broader state reform agenda.  The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Export Promotion announced the launch of a digital platform open from Sunday, March 22 to April 30. The platform will allow operators engaged in import-for-resale activities to submit their forecast programs.

Authorities said the system will centralize purchasing intentions of economic operators (activity No. 4). As a result, it will help align supply with domestic market needs while limiting foreign currency outflows. Operators must submit their forecasts via the official portal in line with reforms aimed at modernizing trade governance.

A strategy to compress the import bill

The dematerialization comes as Algeria seeks to rationalize external spending. Authorities have already reduced the goods import bill to below $45 billion in recent years, compared with more than $58 billion in 2014.

The government is now relying on more precise digital data to prevent shortages while protecting local production. Consequently, the new mechanism strengthens state control over trade flows and improves resource allocation.

The platform aligns with a national digital registry project for locally produced goods and services, unveiled last week. Authorities aim to identify import substitution opportunities and support the growth of non-hydrocarbon exports.

The government is targeting $29 billion in non-hydrocarbon exports by 2030. Therefore, it is using digital tools to guide industrial policy and trade strategy.

By deploying these digital systems, authorities aim to reduce informal activity and improve traceability of financial flows. At the same time, the system offers operators a simplified and more transparent process to obtain compliance certificates.

Samira Njoya