Arab Councils Head Praises Algeria’s Digital Progress, Integration Role
Mohammed Boukhari, President of the Union of Arab Economic and Social Councils and head of Algeria's National Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CNESE), recently highlighted Algeria's significant strides in digital transformation. He specifically noted the country's expanded digitization of public services, the launch of its National Digital Services Portal, and strengthened digital infrastructure. Speaking at a conference in the capital focused on digitization as a tool for Arab states' integration into the global economy, Mr. Boukhari underscored Algeria's leadership within the Union of Arab Councils, which it currently chairs.
Mr. Boukhari emphasized the importance of utilizing Algeria's experience, alongside other Arab nations' efforts, to facilitate a transition from individual economic digitization to comprehensive Arab digital integration. He presented Algeria's progress as a valuable model for experience exchange and lesson extraction on how digital transformation can generate economic and developmental value across the region. The challenge, he stated, is not merely to keep pace with global digital shifts but to optimize their application in constructing a more cohesive and competitive economic position for Arab states.
During the conference, held with representatives from Arab councils including Palestine and Jordan, and Algerian digital experts, discussions addressed critical questions regarding the capacity of Arab nations to forge a unified digital economy while operating with fragmented national digital markets. Mr. Boukhari advocated for moving beyond the formulation of visions and frameworks, such as the Arab Vision for the Digital Economy and the Arab Digital Agenda, towards practical implementation that translates digital interconnectedness into shared economic value. Participants collectively agreed on the necessity of a joint Arab digitization charter to harness the region's human and material capabilities, which were affirmed as robust enough to counter potential new dependencies from artificial intelligence and compete in the expanding global AI market.
