The first cabinet meeting chaired by Sifi Ghrieb focused on the 2026 finance bill and the implementation of the strategy promoted by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Behind the display of efficiency and field visits, observers criticize the approach as more about communication than genuine reform.
On Thursday, September 25, Algerian Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb held his inaugural meeting with the full government. According to an official statement, the session aimed to define a “practical approach”
for implementing the directives issued by President Tebboune during the Council of Ministers on September 21.
The government reviewed the draft 2026 finance bill, presented as a key tool to encourage investments, diversify exports and address social needs.
This sequence reflects the president’s desire to instill a “hands-on” approach among his ministers. Tebboune himself highlighted in a national press interview that he had selected Sifi Ghrieb for his “operational” profile and perceived ability to accelerate public action.
The new government’s first days were marked by highly publicised field visits: inaugurating a factory in Jijel, announcing mining and railway projects in the east, inspecting energy projects in Béchar and Tindouf, and touring desert areas with the Minister of Health.
Yet behind these staged appearances, the reality is less promising. Algeria’s economy remains heavily dependent on hydrocarbons, and diversification promises are slow to materialize.
Budgetary prospects are constrained by volatile oil and gas prices, while the 2026 finance bill relies on traditional revenue sources: costly subsidies, temporary fiscal measures, and repeated calls for foreign investment.
Major industrial projects highlighted—mining, infrastructure, energy—appear more as political announcements than immediate drivers of transformation.
Moreover, the government’s focus on “efficiency” and “synergy” between ministries masks the absence of genuine democratic debate over economic choices. Civil society and critical political parties have no say in drafting the finance bill, which has become a technocratic exercise directed by the executive branch.
If the Ghrieb team wishes to embody renewal, it will need to go beyond ceremonial tours and “emergence” slogans. Without structural reforms, more transparent governance, and meaningful engagement with society,
the risk is high that this “battle-ready” launch will remain a communications exercise, with little tangible impact on Algerians’ daily lives.
MK/ac/sf/lb/gik/APA