Belkhadem personally following up Arab investments’ files

[Al-khiyal]

An official source told El Khabar that the prerogative to follow up the progress of Arab direct investments in Algeria has been transferred to the Chief of Government, Abdelaziz Belkhadem, whereas the follow up for other foreign investments will be among the tasks of the Minister of Participation and Investments Promotion, Hamid Temmar.

The decision was taken to get Arab investors’ files handled as soon as possible; the investors are just waiting for authorizations to start their activities. The step comes just after the Congress of the Arab Businessmen Union, held in Algiers last week, which Abdelhamid Temmar did not attend. Such an absence had caused indignation among Arab and Algerian participants in the meetings.

Speaking to El Khabar via telephone, an Arab investor told us he “went to the Ministry of Participation and Investments Promotion - just after the television forum whose guest was the Chief of Government, himself - two weeks ago, to get information about his investment application” and was told that the file was transferred to the Prime Minister’s office. Abdelaziz Belkhadem has announced recently that the government is to finish the consideration of some investors’ files soon.

Several applicant investors had complained of the slowness in processing requests. They say they have been waiting so long, yet the Minister of Participation and Investment Promotion told Canadian businessmen, last week, that any investor coming to Algeria will quickly get activity authorization, however.

Abdelhamid Temmar had been criticized for the slowness of the privatization programme's implementation. He, himself, recognized it was very difficult to privatize 500 state-owned companies before the end of the year, as it was mentioned in the Economical and Social Council’s 2006 first term report. Out of 1,200 public companies, which were at several times, opened to privatization, less than 300 companies were effectively privatized, among which were local businesses. 20% of the 300 have since undergone problems and crises.

Assigned by President Bouteflika, Belkhadem personally following up Arab investments’ files

[Mnarvi-DZ]

It was Bouteflika's special prerogative to follow them. Did they bore him?