Trade mission to Algeria cancelled

A trade mission to Algeria scheduled to be led by Finance Minister Tonio Fenech and organised by Malta Enterprise next weekend was postponed on Tuesday in the wake of unrest in the region.

The group of around 20 business people were scheduled to travel to Algiers on Saturday and the Algerian Embassy in Rome had issued the delegation with entry visas last week.

The Foreign Ministry issued a warning against non-essential travel to Algeria on Monday.

The trade mission was originally also meant to fly to Tripoli the following Tuesday for a two-day programme but the Libya leg of trip was cancelled last week.

Libya holds one of the infrequent meetings of the General People’s Congress next week and most activity in the country grinds to a halt as Libyans follow proceedings on television.

Libya and Algeria both share borders with troubled Tunisia. Riots have flared in Tunisia – which led to President Zein al-Abidine Ben Ali being swept from power – and Algeria, but incidents are believed to be unrelated. The Algerian situation seems to have no serious political implications and the trouble there is mainly due to increases in food prices. Algeria is however, reported to have imported large quantities of wheat over the past fortnight to avoid shortages in case of unrest. The country cut some food prices earlier this month following clashes between rioters and police that claimed two lives and injured hundreds.

Itself known as the gateway between Africa and Europe, the former French colony is one of the continent’s largest countries with a population of 35.4 million. It has only recently emerged from years of internal strife following failed elections in the early 1990s.

At a meeting at Malta Enterprise on Friday, the group of business people were asked by the government agency’s officials to voice any concerns about travelling to Algiers but the majority were keen to go ahead as planned.

Although most had never travelled to Algeria, many recognised there were opportunities for collaboration with Maltese businesses, particularly after hearing from the directors of two local companies who had been trading with Algeria for many years.

Despite the country witnessing occasional pockets of disturbance, it was business as usual in the capital where Algerians demonstrated “impressive” hospitality towards visitors and went to great lengths to ensure their safety and well-being.

The participants’ attitude to doing business in new, challenging markets was admirable: One participant joked Algeria “was his kind of place”, another said “doing business would not be fun if it were easy”.

The delegation’s proposed programme included a business forum on Sunday morning, opened by an Algerian minister and Mr Fenech, and presentations by Malta Enterprise executive chairman Alan Camilleri, and the Malta Chamber’s board member John Huber. Forum participants were also to be given a presentation by the Algerian Chamber of Commerce and testimonials by Maltese trading with Algeria.

Pre-arranged meetings with Algerian firms were to take place on Sunday afternoon and all day on Monday. The delegation was to focus on sectors including oil and gas, financial and professional services, ICT, travel and tourism, education and training, construction and building materials, and food and beverages.

Algeria is relatively unexploited by Maltese firms: bilateral trade involving primarily mineral oils and by-products stands at just €0.6 million in exports to Algeria and €0.9 million in imports.

The trade mission to Algiers and Tripoli would have kicked off Malta Enterprise’s international calendar for 2011 released last week. The agency will lead business delegations to countries including India, Australia, New Zealand, China and Hong Kong, and specialised trade events.