Ayman Benabderrahmane; A Technocratic and Economist Who Leads the New Government in Algeria

On June 30, 2021, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune assigned Finance Minister Ayman Benabderrahmane to the position of Prime Minister, replacing Abdelaziz Djerad, who submitted his resignation after announcing the results of the legislative elections that took place in the country on June 10, 2021.

Tebboune said when meeting Benabderrahmane to assign him the mission: “You are competent for the mission and for what is to come in the future. You are an economist and social and familiar with all the financial files. As you have succeeded in your duties as Minister of Finance, you will succeed in this mission,” according to state television.

In turn, Benabderrahmane said after receiving the letter of assignment to form the government: “The signs of economic breakthrough seemed to be looming on the horizon. We will work hard as one to dedicate all that we have achieved. We will move forward in dedicating new landmarks to the new Algeria.”

Ayman Benabderrahmane has economic experience at a time when Algeria is facing difficult economic conditions. He is also considered a technocrat in the field of financial management.

It also reflects Tebboune's choice of a technical and specialized figure in the financial sector, the extent of the importance he attaches to the economic aspect in Algeria during the next stage, which the Algerian political class describes as “a stage of complex economic challenges.”

 

A Technocratic and Economist

Ayman Benabderrahmane, was born on August 30, 1966, in Algiers, he holds a certificate from the National School of Administration in 1989 in the fields of finance and economics.

He also holds a master's degree in economic and financial sciences, and several certificates in management and auditing.

He started his career path at the Ministry of Finance in 1991, where he held the position of financial inspector in succession at the level of the General Inspectorate of Finance (1991-2000), and Inspector General of Finance in 2004, then Chief Inspector General of Finance in 2006.

Between December 2001 and March 2010, Benabderrahmane took the position of Deputy Director of Control at the level of the General Inspectorate of Finance.

Benabderrahmane was subsequently appointed head of the monitoring department at the Central Bank of Algeria from 2010 to 2019. Then as Governor of the Bank from November 2019 to June 2020.

President Tebboune appointed him Minister of Finance on June 23, 2020, until the date of his appointment as Prime Minister on June 30, 2021.

One of the biggest missions assigned to Benabderrahmane in the financial sector is: “Digitizing the customs and tax sectors, and preparing a plan to deal with the repercussions of the Corona pandemic.”

During his tenure in charge of the sector, he launched a huge national program to popularize Islamic banking in various public banks.

 

A Man of the Stage

On July 7, 2021, Algeria's presidency announced the formation of the new government headed by Prime Minister Ayman Benabderrahmane, which was dominated by the presence of technocrats. 

In addition to the return of a number of former ministers who worked with the former president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika. And reducing the number of ministries to 35 ministerial portfolios, instead of 40 ministerial portfolios in the past.

The formation of the new government has increased “political concern” about the political and economic choices of President Tebboune, especially since 17 ministers kept their positions in the new government, among them are ministers who were subjected to sharp political and popular criticism for failing to manage their sectors.

However, observers do not expect that the new government of Benabderrahmane will face any troubles, given its possession of a wide political belt in Parliament, by about 340 deputies, out of a total of 407 deputies.

The French-language magazine Jean Afrique said that “Benabderrahmane is technocratic and Algerian public opinion does not know much about him.”

Tebboune views Benabderrahmane as “a trustworthy man with experience and scientific competence, and not affiliated with any political or ideological current." 

For this reason, Tebboune bet on Benabderrahmane at this sensitive political stage, which is floating on the surface of recession.

Economists view the Prime Minister as “a man of the stage who has great knowledge of financial files. He has several bills in his hand that he has developed to solve the economic crisis in the country.”

 

Financial Pressures

Algeria, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), is facing financial pressures due to lower oil and gas revenues, the main source of public finance, which has caused a growing trade deficit.

It is noteworthy that the Algerian monetary reserve was estimated - thanks to fuel revenues - at $195 billion at the end of 2013, but it fell to $44 billion at the end of June 2020.

This decline during the year 2020, is mainly due to the global recession caused by the Corona epidemic, this forced the government to postpone many investment projects in different sectors.