Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune called for unity among African nations in realizing the untapped potential of collective economic strength to enhance Africa's economic standing on the global stage.
At the opening of the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) held in Algiers on September 4-10, 2025, Tebboune emphasized the importance of African countries “uniting to make the African continent contribute to international economic decision-making and no longer be marginalized.”
According to a written statement from the Algerian Embassy in Jakarta, received Wednesday, the Algerian President highlighted the small voice of Africa in international organizations, as reflected in the voting rights of African countries in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which do not exceed 6.5 percent, while their percentage in the World Bank does not exceed 11 percent.
Moreover, Africa contributes only 3 percent of global trade and its share in global investment is less than 6 percent despite the continent having “30 percent of the world’s natural resources” and a population exceeding 1.5 billion people, Tebboune said.
According to him, this should be a motivation for the African community to continue "mobilizing collective capacity and transforming the continent's reality into a development success story."
To achieve this goal, Tebboune stated that Algeria is committed to optimizing intra-African trade, including through the establishment of free trade zones with neighboring countries, the development of trans-Saharan railways and fiber optic cables, and the Algeria-Nigeria gas pipeline network that benefits the countries it passes through.
"Since its independence, Algeria has proudly contributed to the training of no less than 65,000 high-ranking African officials who believe in the importance of working together for the development of the region," said the Algerian President.
Algeria has also recently waived US$1.5 billion in debt to 14 African countries in order to realize Africa-oriented regional economic development, he said.
Tebboune then expressed his country's openness to opening its ports to trade and logistics traffic from landlocked countries in the region.
