"Italy is Algeria's third largest trading partner globally (1st customer country and 3rd supplier after China and France), while Algiers is our largest trading partner on the African continent and the 1st supplier of natural gas globally (over 40%). Today, trade exchange remains mainly concentrated in the energy sector, but we are here in Algiers to identify further industrial partnership opportunities in light of Algeria's economic diversification plans. A first driver is certainly represented by the unexpressed potential for Italian exports to the country, which amounts to about EUR 900m'. These were the words of Leopoldo Destro, Confindustria President's Delegate for Transport, Logistics and the Tourism Industry, in an interview with Algerie Patriotique, on the occasion of the Italy-Algeria Entrepreneurship Round Table organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Ice Agency, in Algiers.

"The Italian entrepreneurial system, recognised for its manufacturing transformation capacity and cutting-edge technology, makes us ideal partners for Algerian companies in many sectors. There are many opportunities for collaboration,' continued Destro, 'in sectors of common interest such as renewable energy, high value-added machinery, connectivity solutions and technologies enabling digital transformation in favour of productivity and competitiveness, within a framework of sustainable development.

According to the Delegate, in order to take full advantage of the opportunities for shared growth, constant public-private dialogue is needed to facilitate investment, remove market access barriers, and promote joint innovation in sectors of common interest. Certainly, with 'the valuable support of Algerian institutional actors and our country system,' stressed Destro, 'we will be able to launch targeted actions to transform potential into tangible industrial projects and real benefits for companies.

This mission, continued the Delegate, "is part of the growing economic development of Algeria, which intends to invest not only in the energy chain, but also in infrastructure and industry. The hope is to bring Italian companies to be privileged partners of the Algerian business community, expanding the presence not only of the large groups already active in the country, but also of the broader audience of small and medium-sized enterprises, which represent a strong point of both our entrepreneurial fabrics".

Asked about the Mattei Plan, Leopoldo Destro then pointed out that 'we have an extraordinary opportunity to pave the way for numerous areas of cooperation. The aim is to expand and strengthen them by placing them at the centre of Euro-Mediterranean relations, also looking at the broader area of sub-Saharan Africa. In this framework, collaboration between the Italian construction industry and Algeria can play a strategic role because the sector is undergoing a major transformation and, moreover, there is already a solid Italian presence in Algeria with a strong reputation for competence and quality, characteristics that can significantly contribute to the country's infrastructural development. Therefore, all conditions are in place for an effective collaboration between Algeria and Italy in infrastructure projects, within the framework of strategic initiatives such as the Mattei Plan'.

"The Italy-Algeria Business Round Table, in the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, and the Algerian Minister of Energy, Mohamed Arkab, is a new opportunity not only to consolidate bilateral strategic cooperation but also to strengthen the rapprochement of the two shores of the Mediterranean with Italy and Algeria as protagonists in this process," Destro concluded.