A live printing trade show for Algeria and the Maghreb region will focus on new potential in Africa.

With Plast Alger, the eighth Printpack Alger event, from May 16-18 is held by Fairtrade with DRUPA organisers Messe Düsseldorf.

Fairtrade founder and managing partner Martin März says demand is promising, “as the market has been on the upswing for years.

“Algeria offers participating companies an environment with a lot of potential. Because the economy of Africa's largest country and the most populous in the Maghreb states is growing, these Algerian industries are taking off.”

The shows are the restart for regional industries after a break of two years because of COVID-19. About 3000 visitors from more than 20 countries are expected at the modern CIC Abdelatif Rahal International Conference Centre in Algiers.

DRUPA has been a partner for some years, with März thanking the Algerian government as well as embassies, institutions and associations from Algeria, the Maghreb, Europe, the Middle East and Asia for their support.

Among others, Italian machinery manufacturers association ACIMGA, AHK, the German-Algerian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Italian Trade Agency ITA and the Turkish trade ministry are on board.

Visitors can expect “solutions and services for all aspects of printing and packaging”… including printing presses and accessories, materials, prepress and pre-media, bookbinding and postpress, packaging machines, components and materials, as well as packaging materials.

An accompanying conference programme provides information on industrial development in the country and the financing of innovations, Algeria's path to a circular economy for plastic products and the path of the local packaging industry to more sustainability.

Algeria is the leading importer of printing and packaging technologies

With a volume of 211 million Euros, Algeria was already the leading importer of packaging technology on the African continent and in the Middle East in 2019, according to VDMA data, with Italy, Germany, France, Spain, China, Turkey and Austria the most important suppliers.

In 2020, Algeria imported machinery worth 101 million Euros, making it the second largest importer in the region after Egypt.

"Since 2016, imports have increased by 77 per cent, which gives the trade fair added significance," says Sabine Geldermann (pictured) Messe Düsseldorf’s project director for DRUPA and print technologies.

“Exhibitors are expecting a lot of potential for new business in Africa and the Middle East." They will also benefit from a massive investment programme worth hundreds of billions of US dollars by the government, which has been set up to develop the country's infrastructure and improve the living conditions of Algerians. More information at http://www.printpackalger.com

Other DRUPA-partnered shows in 2022 include Print & Digital Convention (Düsseldorf June 22-23), Indoprint (Jakarta August 31-September 3), PackPrintPlas Philippines (Manila October 6-8), All in Print (Shanghai October 11-15) and Pack Print International and Corrutec Asia (Bangkok October 19-22 ).