In May/June 2016 Polish companies visited Algeria on a trade mission organized under the auspices of the Polish Chamber of Commerce (KIG). Its business group comprised thirty entrepreneurs, including ROHLIG SUUS Logistics as the only representative of the Polish TSL sector.

With its population of nearly 40 million Algeria is a country with significant economic potential that has large needs in almost any branch of the economy. Its assets include a stable economic situation and a high level of internal security. It is almost the largest country in Africa and the third biggest importer of gas to the European Union (after Russia and Norway). Algeria was also rated by the Ministry of Economy as one of the most promising countries for Polish exports. Its 2015 trade volume with Poland totaled over USD 370m, including more than PLN 332m worth of the Polish exports.

Being a Polish company with a global reach, ROHLIG SUUS Logistics decided to have a closer look at the Algerian market and examine its potential. - Not only did we want to see during the mission if the entrepreneurs are interested in exports but also to analyze the reality of operating on the Algerian market because recently that country has undergone considerable transformations. Gas and oil prices dropped significantly and new restrictions such as obligatory import licenses have been introduced - says Tomasz Rudnicki, Key Trade Lane Manager for Middle East and North Africa Region at ROHLIG SUUS Logistics. - Thanks to participating in the mission we had an opportunity to directly meet our agent with whom we have been working together in the area of intermodal transport and allowed us to analyze the current offering and become familiar with the needs of the Algerian enterprises - stresses the operator’s representative.

The company was one of 180 members of the Economic Forum in Algiers which gathered the representatives of business, economic institutions and organizations from Poland and Algeria. It also participated in a session of B2B talks at the Polish information desk during the FIA Algiers International Fair for Trade. The last item on the mission’s agenda was a visit to the Economic Forum in Oran co-organized with the local trade and industrial chamber.

The mission was prepared by the Ministry of Development, the Department of Trade and Investment Promotion the Polish Embassy in Algiers and the Algerian Embassy in Warsaw.