IFAD President makes first official visit to Algeria to promote youth employment and climate adaptation in rural areas

Rome, 19 January 2024 - IFAD President Alvaro Lario will be visiting Algeria next week in his first official visit to the country since he was elected head of the International Fund for Agricultural Development in 2022.

Lario will meet with government officials to discuss plans for future collaboration, including Algeria’s contribution to IFAD’s thirteenth replenishment. IFAD’s short and medium-term commitment to support the government’s strategic objectives to reduce poverty and inequality, promote rural youth employment and enhance climate change adaptation in rural areas will also be key topics for discussion.

The agricultural, forestry, and fishing sector contributed 11.6 per cent to Algeria's GDP in 2022, with a 5.8 per cent growth in its value added during the year. Yet agricultural employment has been steadily declining, affecting 26 per cent of the workforce in 2021. Youth unemployment in Algeria reached an average of 29 per cent in 2022, with the most vulnerable groups being those from impoverished backgrounds, particularly rural youth, and young women, whose unemployment rate soared to 45.5 per cent.

IFAD and the Government of Algeria are working to address youth employment issues in Biskra Province through the "ProAgro YOUTH" program, which is focusing on youth employment and entrepreneurship, and implemented by a consortium of national partners led by the International Labour Organisation.

Algeria, with a predominantly arid and semi-arid climate, also faces environmental challenges related to climate change, desertification and natural hazards. Over the past three years, drought has significantly impacted agricultural production and prices. Algeria continues to heavily rely on food imports, with wheat imports averaging 70 per cent of domestic utilization over the last five years, making it the world's sixth-largest wheat importer.

As part of its National Climate Plan (NCP), Algeria has committed to independently reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 7 per cent by 2030 and pursuing an energy transition to decrease reliance on hydrocarbons. IFAD is currently working with the Government of Algeria to develop a project proposal for restoring the Algerian Alfa steppe and adaptation rangeland management.

Algeria, one of IFAD’s founding members, has contributed US$ 83 million to previous IFAD replenishments since the Fund’s inception in 1978. Since 1986, IFAD has financed five projects, for a total of US$120 million of which US$60.78 million of IFAD main financing. Since 2006, IFAD has been providing support for diverse non-lending initiatives in Algeria.

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Press release No.: IFAD/08/2024

IFAD is an international financial institution and a United Nations specialized agency. Based in Rome – the United Nations food and agriculture hub – IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided more than US$24 billion in grants and low-interest loans to fund projects in developing countries. 

A wide range of photographs and broadcast-quality video content of IFAD’s work in rural communities are available for download from our Image Bank.