Algerian Radio
The Chairman and CEO of the Sonatrach Group, Noureddine Daoudi, affirmed yesterday, Tuesday, in Oran that the nationalization of hydrocarbons constituted "a courageous sovereign decision and a pivotal step in the process of building the independent national state," stressing that this historic achievement laid the solid foundations for an integrated national energy industry.
In a speech delivered in the Arzew industrial zone on the occasion of the commemorative ceremony for the double anniversary of the creation of the General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA) and the nationalization of hydrocarbons—presided over by Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb on the instruction of the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune—Mr. Daoudi indicated that the creation of the UGTA on February 24, 1956, constituted "a decisive turning point in the Algerian people's struggle for freedom and the recovery of national sovereignty."
He added that the decision to nationalize hydrocarbons, taken on February 24, 1971, came to consecrate economic independence and allow Algeria to exercise total control over its natural resources.
He also highlighted that the nationalization of hydrocarbons represented "the true starting point for the construction of an integrated national oil and gas industry, of which Sonatrach constituted the core," specifying that the group assumed responsibility for developing national resources across the entire value chain of the oil and gas industry, ranging from exploration and production to transport and processing, as well as refining, petrochemicals, marketing, and liquefaction.
Finally, he affirmed that commemorating this anniversary at the Arzew complex "carries deep symbolic significance, as one of the most important strategic industrial hubs illustrating the industrial transformation process adopted by Algeria to valorize its natural resources and create added value locally."
