Algeria: trying to do better

Arezki Hocini, president of Algeria's upstream regulator, discusses the challenges facing the hydrocarbon sector and obstacles to reform

Europe's third-largest gas supplier has been shunned by international oil companies over the past decade. This has been primarily due to Algeria's fiscal terms, cumbersome bureaucracy and deteriorating business sentiment. The result has been a serious decline in exploration and production activities. To add to its problems, the recent downturn caused by depressed oil prices has meant Algeria being forced to compete with other producing nations as IOCs have become more selective on where to invest. With a friendly and welcoming demeanour, Hocini, head of Alnaft (Agence Nationale pour la Valorisation des Ressources en Hydrocarbures), speaks with pragmatism, while still showing a shrewd sense o