Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Friday that Algeria aspires to a strong and mutually beneficial Afro-Russian partnership, which would help to create a more just global order. He highlighted Algeria’s efforts to support development in Africa, such as by reducing debt and developing infrastructure in several countries on the continent.
In a speech read on his behalf by Prime Minister Aïmene Benabderrahmane, Tebboune said that Algeria aspires to a “strong and mutually beneficial Afro-Russian partnership, which would enable us to achieve the aspirations and expectations of our peoples for more progress and development, and the emergence of a just global order, based on respect for the principles of international law and multilateralism.”
“It is imperative to help Africa, first and foremost, to overcome the debt crisis and facilitate access to financing,” he added. “At least, with the same conditions imposed on other countries.”
He called for a review of the current approach to resolving the debt crisis, in order to allow African countries to overcome this major obstacle to access to new financing processes.
Tebboune pointed to the challenges facing the continent, including the fact that one in five children in Africa does not have access to education, and that more than 600 million Africans live without electricity or access to clean water. He also highlighted the deficit of nearly $100 billion per year in infrastructure financing, exacerbated by an estimated debt of $1 trillion in 2022.
Tebboune praised Algeria’s efforts to cancel the debts of 14 African countries and to work towards rescheduling the debts of other countries. He also recalled that the Algerian government has allocated $1 billion to development projects in African countries, and that it has already begun to finance projects in Niger and Mali.
Tebboune said that Algeria is also working to develop projects for neighboring countries, such as the African Unity Road, which connects Mali, Niger, Tunisia, Chad, and Algeria, and the Tindouf-Zouerate road in Algeria and Mauritania.
The Algerian president’s speech was well-received by African leaders, who expressed their support for Algeria’s efforts to promote development and cooperation on the continent.
