Mattei Plan: Italian group invests €420 million in Algeria
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Algérie 360
Italian group BF International plans to invest about €420 million across 36,000 hectares in Timimoun, in southern Algeria, to produce cereals, pulses and pasta. Algerian ambassador to Italy Mohamed Khelifi presented it as the “first concrete initiative” of the Mattei Plan in Algeria, at the “Mattei Approach 2026” forum in Rome, according to the Italian agency Agenzia Nova.
The Italian group BF International is carrying an agro-industrial project worth about €420 million in the Timimoun region of southern Algeria, according to the Italian agency Agenzia Nova. The site would cover 36,000 hectares to produce cereals and pulses, with an integrated food chain that would include pasta production.
Mohamed Khelifi, head of the Algerian diplomatic mission in Italy, described the project as the “first concrete initiative” of the Mattei Plan, Italy’s programme of cooperation with Africa, in Algeria. He spoke at the “Mattei Approach 2026” forum, held in Rome, where he argued for more ambitious cooperation, with African countries involved in defining their priorities rather than a simple logic of assistance.
On the energy front, he calls for going beyond natural gas trade alone in favour of innovative projects. He cites the green hydrogen corridor of the SoutH2 initiative, which would pass through Tunisia, Italy, Austria and Germany to reach European markets from Algeria, as well as a trans-Mediterranean electricity interconnection project still under study.
In training and research, the ambassador highlights the Enrico Mattei Centre of Excellence, being set up in Sidi Bel Abbès, in western Algeria. Designed for training, research and agricultural innovation with an African focus, it is to host Algerian students and professionals, as well as those from other countries on the continent.
