In line with the directives of the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, aimed at valorizing strategic national resources and developing future high-value industries, the Minister of State, Minister of Hydrocarbons and Mines, Mr. Mohamed Arkab, and the Minister of Energy and Renewable Energies, Dr. Mourad Adjal, chaired a joint coordination meeting dedicated to monitoring progress in the development of Algeria’s lithium sector.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary of State for Mines, Ms. Karima Bekir Tafer, as well as senior officials from both ministries and their affiliated institutions. Its agenda focused on practical measures to develop this promising sector, a key pillar in the national energy transition and in strengthening Algeria’s industrial and technological sovereignty.
During the meeting, the Minister of State, Mr. Mohamed Arkab, presented a detailed report on the progress of mining exploration projects for lithium, highlighting the results of field studies conducted in the provinces of Tamanrasset and Ain Guezzam in collaboration with the Chinese Ganfeng Lithium Group. These studies revealed promising indicators for the presence of this strategic resource along with several other rare minerals. He also outlined the practical steps for implementing the recently signed memorandum of understanding between the National Office of Geological and Mining Research (ORGM), representing the Sonarem Group, and Professor Karim Zghib, an international expert in lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery technologies, aimed at developing the full value chain of the lithium industry in Algeria.
For his part, Dr. Mourad Adjal emphasized the importance of coordinating efforts and unifying visions among the relevant sectors to prepare a comprehensive national roadmap linking upstream activities (exploration, extraction, chemical processing) with downstream processes (manufacturing, battery production, and energy storage). He highlighted the need to involve national expertise and Algerian experts abroad, alongside industrial stakeholders, to build a strong scientific and industrial base enabling Algeria to position itself as a regional hub for lithium battery production and development.
Both ministers stressed that the lithium sector represents a strategic pillar for the “new Algeria,” given its direct link to renewable energy, electric transportation, and clean technologies. Its development aligns with the objectives of the national energy transition, which seeks to reduce the carbon footprint and diversify economic income sources.
The meeting concluded with a set of practical priorities, including:
- Accelerating the implementation of the memorandum of understanding with Professor Karim Zghib and activating technical and scientific follow-up mechanisms.
- Preparing a joint work program between the two ministries to outline medium- and long-term stages for developing the lithium sector.
- Strengthening coordination between scientific research and industry to build an integrated national system for energy storage.
- Launching pilot projects for producing active materials used in LFP battery manufacturing.
The ministers reaffirmed that developing this sector is a strategic choice in building a knowledge- and clean-technology-based national economy, renewing the government’s commitment to supporting this promising project to ensure sustainable exploitation of national resources and to advance Algeria’s energy and technological sovereignty.