Réda Hamiani: “The FCE aims to use Ipemed membership to improve Algeria’s image”

The Algerian Business Leaders’ Forum (FCE) has recently joined Ipemed. To mark the occasion, we went to Algiers to meet its chairman, Réda Hamiani, a company head and former minister for small and mid-sized enterprises, to find out more about the reasons behind the move.

What is the FCE?
The FCE is an independent employers’ association created in 2000 gathering business leaders active in the world of industry and services. Its members are major company leaders in Algeria. Our missions are typical for this type of organization, in other words, moral and material defence of members’ interests, the desire to influence the country’s economic policy, and lobbying for the private sector. We defend business values, private initiative, and the merits of the market. Our hope is that the state will intervene as a regulator rather than a stakeholder on an economic level. But we have had difficulty promoting these ideas during a transition period marked by a move from a centralized economy
to a liberal economy. Despite the reforms undertaken in the 1990s and the structural adjustment policies implemented with the IMF and the
World Bank, which are perfectly compatible with free enterprise, the old system continues to rear its head. There is no consensus admitting the benefits of the private sector and making it the driver of the economy.

What are your relations with the state and what kind of dialogue is possible?
For us, the emphasis should be on dialogue and consultation with the aim of mobilizing all creative energy. Based on this idea, the FCE uses its influence to act at all government levels to achieve consensus on points of view and then implement them. We are waiting for the government to outline its vision of Algeria in 2030, when its oil and gas reserves will all be gone. The goal should be an economy that gives jobs to the young, starting with national investment and followed by foreign investment.

Why did the FCE join Ipemed?
We share the same values as Ipemed and we like the way this think tank works, bringing together business people to debate on their centres of interest and concerns. Ipemed can help us improve the image of our country, build up partnerships, and develop the ideas behind moderate liberalism. We are particularly interested in the quality of relations between Ipemed members. It’s a think tank that produces innovative ideas that help us understand today’s world. We are going to use its support to work in this direction. For us, it’s a challenge that will oblige Algerian employers to move forward, put together a debate and take on an international context.

Do you have a policy regardingEurope?
It seems to us that Europeans know little about Algeria. The mostly sensational image put forward by the media does the country a disservice. Europeans see it as an unstable, unsafe country in which the state intervenes randomly. Despite this unattractive environment, the country possesses some great potential and strong points.
Growth is at 5% and Algeria has significant liquid assets. Today, Europe is losing large market shares to new arrivals like China, Turkey and Egypt. We would like to consolidate our traditional links with Europe, which should help us remain within its area of influence.



Interview by Agnès Levallois