The announced development projects for Algiers will deepen economic inequality and push more people to consider relocation

I’m not saying the government should build a 40k-seat stadium in a wilaya like Illizi with ~50k residents. It’s a known fact that the South only houses 9% of the population, and what it really needs is roads, rail, and transport infrastructure. But the Hauts Plateaux from east to west are the ones being left out. These regions face lack of resources contrary to the South, a severe water shortages (esp in the west due to low rainfall) and no significant groundwater reserves (again unlike the south), and no access to the sea for desalination or economic opportunities.

What’s worse is that the announced projects in Algiers will primarily target tourism, a sector the government intentionally neglects with tit-for-tat visa policy and a lack of real investment, despite its low contribution to the economy, they insist on building infrastructure like the grand mosque which is 90% of the time empty. When the national strategy focuse only on the Oran-Algiers-Constantine trinity, you’re effectively declaring the Hauts Plateaux as wastelands. Look no further than Egypt to see why economic inequality doesn’t work, they’re building a new capital while rationing electricity and facing rising poverty everywhere else.

Instead they should prioritize building megaports like the UAE, and expand railways to connect more regions to international trade. And follow Saudi Arabia example by delivering desalinated water to inland regions.