Algeria in "very advanced" talks with World Bank arm on start-up investment fund
Algeria is in very advanced talks with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group's private-sector arm, to create an investment fund for start-ups, Minister of the Knowledge Economy, Start-ups and Micro-enterprises Noureddine Ouadah said in an interview published on Sunday.
The talks are being held jointly with the Ministry of Finance. No amount or timetable has been announced. Ouadah said the institution is interested in Algerian start-ups with the potential to expand into Africa and Europe.
The minister also gave details of the 5th African Start-up Conference, to be held in Algiers from 5 to 7 December. He expects Algerian start-ups to raise more than 10 million dollars from international investors there. Organizers anticipate over 25,000 participants, 40 African delegations led by ministers and about 150 investors, 98 of whom have already confirmed. The World Bank, the African Development Bank and countries including Germany, Russia and Saudi Arabia are expected.
Citing United Nations Development Programme data, Ouadah said funding for African deep-technology start-ups rose from 86 million dollars in 2015 to 1.2 billion dollars in 2023. Algeria had about 200 start-ups in 2020, he said, and now has over 15,000 innovative projects, a figure that includes support structures.
Under the 2026 finance law, companies governed by Algerian law with revenue of at least two billion dinars, about 15 million dollars, must devote at least one per cent of taxable profit to research or innovation from 1 January 2026. A shortfall is taxed. A decree published in the Official Gazette on 4 November lists qualifying spending.
For Algeria, the stake is access to long-term capital for young firms. A fund backed by a major international lender would add a financing channel and signal confidence to other investors.
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