Algeria and the Netherlands unveil start-up partnership
Algeria and the Netherlands have launched a joint program to support start-ups in the blue and green economy, Algerian government-friendly outlet AL24 News reported on September 25.
Officials said on September 24 that the initiative, dubbed “BlueGreen Zone”, is aimed at boosting the international competitiveness of local innovators. It is a partnership between Algerian incubator BlueGreen Business and the Dutch embassy in Algiers.
This is not the first initiative taken by Algeria to boost start-ups, as it was announced at the Intra-African Trade Fair at the start of September that the country would be launching a continent-wide fund to back start-ups and young innovators. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune described the fund as a mechanism to empower youth and drive shared growth.
Under the Algeria-Netherlands program, Algerian entrepreneurs will benefit from Dutch expertise in circular economy, green innovation and sustainable marine source management.
At the launch ceremony, attended by Dutch ambassador Anne Elisabeth Luwema and EU ambassador Diego Mellado, the director of BlueGreen Business, Fethi Chennaoui, said the program will provide tailored support to project holders through in-person and online training and networking opportunities with Dutch experts.
The program undoubtedly works towards improving some of the economic challenges inherited by Sifi Ghrieb when he was appointed as Algeria’s Prime Minister on September 14. Export revenue in the country is heavily reliant on hydrocarbons, leaving it vulnerable to oil price swings, and there are also issues with youth unemployment.
Chennaoui said at the launch of “BlueGreen Zone” that participants in the program will gain access to the Dutch market to promote solutions internationally.
It targets non-traditional sectors such as water management and valorisation, marine and coastal ecosystem protection, low-carbon solutions, smart agriculture and agri-food innovation. The program can link to President Tebboune’s strategy of energy diversification as Algeria aims to boost renewable generation.
There are three phases to the program: project acceleration (Sept 2025 – Feb 2026), intensive training and field testing (Mar – Aug 2026), and international business promotion (Sept – Dec 2026).
Dutch ambassador Luwema has stressed the Netherland’s readiness to cooperate with Algeria in promising areas like innovation, renewable energy and hydrogen.
AL24 News, Maghrebi.org
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