U.S. Business Delegation Wraps Up High-Level Mission To Algeria And Tunisia

posted on: Apr 2, 2015

Delegation members pose with H.E. Abdesselam Bouchouareb, Algeria’s Minister of Industry and Mining, at the U.S. – Algeria Trade Investment Conference.

A U.S. business delegation co-led by the U.S. Department of State, the National U.S. – Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC), and the US – Algeria Business Council (USABC), recently concluded a week-long trade and investment mission to Algeria and Tunisia. The high-level infrastructure-focused mission, which included representatives of 18 American firms, spent time with top business leaders and senior government officials, including the President of Tunisia, H.E. Beji Caid Essebsi, the Prime Minister of Tunisia, H.E. Habib Essid, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Hon. Penny Pritzker, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and numerous ministers from both Algeria and Tunisia.

The public / private delegation spent three working days in Algeria and four working days in Tunisia. During that time, delegates played a key role in several important business events in the region, including: the U.S. – Algeria Trade & Investment Conference, held in Algiers; the Investment & Entrepreneurship Conference, co-organized in Tunis by the American Chamber of Commerce in Tunisia (AmCham Tunisia), Partners for a New Beginning – North Africa Partnership for Economic Opportunity (PNB-NAPEO), and the U.S. Department of State; and the Mediterranean Building Exhibition (MEDIBAT), a regional infrastructure conference organized by the Sfax Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Co-leader of the mission, Hon. Charles Rivkin, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, noted, “Through our well-represented business delegation, the United States clearly demonstrated its commitment to being a major economic partner in the region.”

“The Greenfield economies of North Africa offer tremendous growth potential for U.S. firms,” said David Hamod, President & CEO of the U.S. – Arab Chamber and a co-leader of the delegation. “Algeria and Tunisia rolled out the red carpet for our delegation, and I am confident that many of our companies will secure business deals as a result of this visit.”

The mission’s third co-leader was Dr. Ismael Chikhoune, President & CEO of the US – Algeria Business Council (USABC), who said, “U.S. delegates had the opportunity to learn about the ambitious program of Algeria’s economic development plan for the next five years in different sectors, including all the incentives that the Algerian Government is putting into place to encourage investment and partnerships.”

To read the complete report, click HERE.