Swiss Green Invest SA is a shareholder in several companies governed by Algerian law. This direct on-the-ground presence — beyond consulting — is the best guarantee of our operational knowledge of the market.
With a GDP set by the 2026 Finance Act at DZD 41,878 billion and one of the lowest external public debts in the MENA region (USD 3.19 bn in 2023), Algeria combines macro-financial stability, favourable demographics, and an ambitious diversification programme. It is one of the most structurally compelling geographies in the southern Mediterranean for those who position themselves with method.
Unlike firms that produce reports on Algeria, Swiss Green Invest SA is a shareholder in several Algerian-law companies. This direct stake gives us access to a living knowledge of the legal, tax, and operational fabric — the kind you don't learn from reports, but in boardrooms.
Incorporated as a Joint-Stock Company (SPA) under Algerian commercial law, SPA FretAir is the legal entity that carries our air transport pole in Algeria. It operates the Numidie Airlines brand (passenger transport, A330 programme) and the FretAir activity (cargo transport). Operational base: Tiaret. Share capital in Algerian dinars, governance shared with our local partners.
An Algerian-law company specialised in aircraft maintenance and end-of-life aircraft recycling, AéroNéo Algeria completes our aeronautical pole along the lifecycle dimension. This vertical integration — passengers, cargo, maintenance — is unique on the Algerian market and gives Swiss Green Invest deep operational visibility across the entire industry.
Being a shareholder in Algeria means: having negotiated statutes in Arabic, filed with the wilaya commercial register, opened dinar accounts, navigated AAPI procedures, managed the relationship with the tax administration, recruited locally, signed commercial contracts under Algerian law. Each of these steps builds lived expertise that we make available to foreign investors who wish to replicate the journey.
For a foreign investor starting on the Algerian market, the structuring phase usually takes 12 to 24 months: choice of legal form, shareholder agreement negotiation, AAPI filing, banking onboarding, sectoral approvals. Our presence as an existing shareholder drastically shortens this path, by providing: an Algerian legal team already in place, established banking relationships, a fine understanding of each sectoral regulation, and operational lessons learned on pitfalls to avoid.
Sources: 2026 Finance Act, Bank of Algeria, World Bank, KPMG Algeria Guide 2026.
The Algerian economy posts strong momentum: +20.3% in 2021, +27.4% in 2022, +7.5% in 2023 per the Bank of Algeria. The non-hydrocarbon GDP split is 70% private sector and 30% public sector. This redistribution reflects the rise of Algerian private operators and the diversification underway.
With USD 69 billion in foreign exchange reserves (28.76% of GDP in 2023), 173.6 tonnes of gold (5.12% of world reserves), and total external debt of only USD 3.19 bn, Algeria displays a very solid sovereign credit profile. Investors find a macro-financial environment that is rare in the region.
The hydrocarbon sector accounts for 14% of GDP but generates 86% of foreign exchange revenue (USD 38.37 bn in 2023) and around 34% of total state budget revenue — DZD 2,697.9 bn in the 2026 Finance Act. This dependency is one of the drivers of the ongoing diversification policy.
The median age is under 30, urbanisation exceeds 75%, and the Algerian diaspora — particularly present in France, Switzerland, Canada, and the UK — feeds constant entrepreneurial flows. Unemployment fell from 14.1% in 2020 to 11.7% in 2023, reflecting the gradual improvement of the labour market.
108,302 km of roads (including 1,216 km of 6-lane East-West motorway), 45 ports, 35 airports including 13 international, 10,500 km of rail, 4 tram networks in service (Algiers, Oran, Constantine, Sidi Bel Abbès), Algiers metro, 200,000 km of fibre optic deployed, and 47.66 million mobile subscribers. Algerian infrastructure supports large-scale projects in logistics, transport, and digital.
From the Mediterranean coast (Algiers, Oran, Annaba, Béjaïa, Tipaza) to the high plateaus (Sétif, Constantine, Tiaret), all the way to the Sahara and the Deep South (Ghardaïa, Timimoune, Tamanrasset, Djanet, Tassili n'Ajjer, Hoggar, Tadrart Rouge), Algeria offers rare geographic diversity. This expanse is also the basis for one of the highest solar potentials in the world.
Law 22-18 of 24 July 2022 overhauled the Algerian investment code. It introduces three incentive regimes that combine with common-law tax incentives, and lifts the so-called "51/49" rule in most non-strategic sectors. Procedures are centralised by the AAPI (Algerian Agency for Investment Promotion).
Eligible: investments in mining and quarrying, agriculture, aquaculture, and fisheries, industry (agri-food, pharmaceutical, petrochemical), services and tourism, new and renewable energy, and knowledge economy and ICT. Operational-phase benefit: CIT exemption for 3 to 5 years per evaluation grid.
Localities in the High Plateaus, South, and Deep South benefit from reinforced incentives. The operational phase grants a CIT exemption of 5 to 10 years. This is the most generous regime for projects in the wilayas of Ghardaïa, Adrar, Tamanrasset, Illizi, Tindouf, as well as developments in Tiaret — the base of our FretAir Algeria subsidiary.
High-potential investments — 500+ direct jobs and DZD 10 bn+ in investment — fall under the structural regime. Criteria: import substitution, export diversification, integration into global value chains, technology acquisition. CIT exemption of 5–10 years + possible state support for site preparation and infrastructure.
Across all regimes, the construction phase grants: customs duty exemption on imported goods entering the investment, VAT exemption on goods and services (local or imported), transfer-tax exemption, registration-duty exemption (incorporation, capital increases), property-tax exemption for 10 years. Construction deadline: 3 years (priority sectors) or 5 years (zones and structural), extendable.
The 2023 Finance Act clarified the reinvestment obligation: 30% of tax benefits, capped at 30% of profits. Eligible forms: acquisition of productive assets (tangible or intangible), equity stake in another production company, or stake in a certified start-up or incubator — a novel mechanism channelling part of the tax benefits towards local innovation.
Law 22-18 guarantees foreign investors the free transfer of invested capital and its income (dividends, sale proceeds, liquidation proceeds), subject to tax and FX obligations. Algeria is also a party to several bilateral investment promotion and protection treaties (notably with Switzerland), and to the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement with the European Union (in force since 2005), which opens significant tariff preferences.
Beyond investment-specific incentives, Algerian taxation distinguishes rates by economic activity. It is a key input in profitability modelling.
Algerian CIT applies differentiated rates by the nature of the activity:
For companies with mixed activities, taxable profit is allocated across rates pro rata to turnover. A reduced rate of 10% applies to profits reinvested in manufacturing — a significant optimisation lever. Minimum CIT is DZD 10,000 for companies with nil results.
Algeria and Switzerland are bound by a bilateral double-tax treaty. For financial flows between the two countries, treaty withholding rates are materially lower than common-law rates:
This gap makes structuring through a Swiss company one of the most tax-efficient channels to invest in Algeria. It is precisely one of the structural advantages Swiss Green Invest SA makes available to its investor partners.
VAT applies at the standard 19% rate, with a 9% reduced rate on essentials. Monthly returns and payments due by the 20th of the following month. Social contributions amount to 35% of gross salary (26% employer + 9% employee). Transfer duties on property or business assets are 5–6%.
The Algerian tax code provides rebates on taxable turnover by sector: 25% for construction and hydraulics, 30% for wholesale and retail of heavily-taxed items, 75% for fuel sales. These rebates combine with Law 22-18 incentives when the investment is eligible.
The former Professional Activity Tax (TAP) has been replaced by the Local Solidarity Tax (LST). Monthly rates on VAT-exclusive turnover: 3% for pipeline hydrocarbon transport, 1.5% for mining. Non-resident companies providing services in Algeria are subject to a flat 30% withholding covering CIT, TAP, and VAT — unless a tax treaty applies.
Tax optimisation of an Algerian project combines: 1. activity choice (CIT 19% vs 26%), 2. Law 22-18 eligibility (CIT exemption 3 to 10 years), 3. routing flows through the Switzerland-Algeria treaty (reduced WHT), 4. reinvesting profits in manufacturing (CIT 10%). This structuring work is what Swiss Green Invest SA delivers on every deal.
Swiss Green Invest SA concentrates its positions in sectors where Algeria has a structural competitive advantage and where our teams have operational ground knowledge.
Algerian skies are opening up. The gradual liberalisation of air transport, the growing need for cargo capacity to support agricultural and industrial exports, and the modernisation of airport infrastructure create a major opportunity. In this context Swiss Green Invest SA participates in the development of three complementary Algerian companies: Numidie Airlines (passenger transport), FretAir Algeria (air cargo), and AéroNéo (aeronautical maintenance and recycling). See details in our holdings.
Algeria has one of the highest solar potentials in the world: over 3,000 hours of annual sunshine across most of the territory, up to 3,900 hours in the Sahara. National programmes target 15 GW of installed renewable capacity by 2030. For foreign investors, this is a structural field of opportunity: utility-scale PV projects, hybridisation of off-grid sites, mini-grids for desert and industrial zones.
Sustained urbanisation drives durable demand for residential construction, public facilities, road and port infrastructure. Regional capitals — Algiers, Oran, Constantine, Sétif, Annaba — concentrate the most visible programmes. Beyond that, the development of logistics hubs and industrial platforms is a particularly attractive field for public-private partnerships.
With its northern cereal plains, its oases (Biskra, Ghardaïa, Timimoune), and its Sahelian hinterland, Algeria pursues a food sovereignty strategy that mobilises capital, technology, and know-how. Date palms (Algerian Deglet Nour is among the most prized in the world), cereals, oilseeds, livestock, and agri-industrial processing form investment pockets with strong export potential, notably to Europe and West Africa.
Algeria counts seven UNESCO World Heritage sites — including the Algiers Casbah, Roman ruins of Djemila and Timgad, Tassili n'Ajjer, and the M'Zab valley. The landscape diversity, from Mediterranean coast to Saharan dunes, and the cultural richness (Berber, Arab, Andalusian, Ottoman mosaic) form world-class tourism assets. The country's gradual opening to international tourism converts this heritage into investment opportunities in hospitality, events, and transport.
Import-substitution policy combined with the drive to move up value chains opens opportunities in specialty petrochemicals, aluminium, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, agri-processing, and mechanical industries. Integrated industrial zones (Sidi Bel Abbès, Tiaret, Béjaïa, Sétif, Bordj Bou Arreridj) provide a structured establishment framework.
Investing in Algeria requires both Swiss financial discipline — governance, transparency, long-term vision — and a fine understanding of the Algerian ground — regulation, ecosystem, partners. Swiss Green Invest SA combines the two.
Our team is physically present in Algiers and Geneva. This dual footprint lets us structure each operation in compliance with Algerian law and Swiss regulation, and maintain a permanent governance channel over portfolio companies.
Each investment is subject to deep upfront due diligence (legal, tax, operational), a clear shareholder agreement, and quarterly monitoring. Swiss financial discipline frames risk-taking; Algerian operational knowledge accelerates execution.
We do not invest for quick capital gains. The projects we back in Algeria require time: approvals, industrial ramp-up, market structuring. Our horizon is five to ten years, aligned with local entrepreneurs.
Sources: 2026 Finance Act (Republic of Algeria); Law 22-18 of 24 July 2022 on investment; Bank of Algeria (annual reports, statistics); World Bank; "Doing Business in Algeria 2026", KPMG Algeria (February 2026); PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Algeria; National Statistics Office (ONS); ARPCE; Ministry of Energy and Mines; Switzerland-Algeria double-tax treaty.
The information on this page consists of general observations on the Algerian market and synthesises official public data. It is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer, recommendation, or personalised investment advice. Each transaction is subject to a separate written contract.
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