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ALGIERS – The Minister of Energy and Mines, Mohamed Arkab, on Monday in Algiers, installed Mr. Rachid Hachichi in his new role as CEO of the Sonatrach group, replacing Mr. Toufik Hakkar.

The President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, had, earlier on Monday, terminated the functions of Mr. Hakkar and appointed Mr. Hachichi to the post of CEO of the National Oil Group.

Speaking during the installation ceremony, held at the headquarters of the General Management of Sonatrach in the presence of executives from the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Group, Mr. Arkab praised the skills of Mr. Hachichi and his “rich” background in the field within the Group, having already held the position of CEO of Sonatrach, congratulating him for the confidence placed in him by the President of the Republic.

The minister also thanked Mr. Hakkar for the efforts made at the head of Sonatrach, who “dedicated his skills and expertise in the field to live up to the trust placed in him.”

“This change at the head of one of the main national establishments will breathe new life into the Group, given the current challenges,” said Mr. Arkab.

On the occasion, the minister recalled the main objectives of the public authorities through Sonatrach, which aim to “highlight new hydrocarbon resources and put in place a development, exploitation and production program for them. and valorization through the development of the manufacturing industry.

In the same vein, Mr. Arkab explained that it was also a question of “increasing national production, creating jobs, making new discoveries, developing deposits and refining and strengthening the capacities of the Algeria in terms of exports, counting on Algerian skills and young people, the objective being to consolidate the national economy and participate in the energy transition of our country.

For his part, Mr. Hachichi thanked the President of the Republic for the trust placed in him, committing to work for the achievement of the Group’s objectives in its various activities, such as the exploration of hydrocarbons for replace the quantities consumed, renew the stock and guarantee the sustainability of the company.

The new CEO is also committed to developing the production of gas, oil, capacitors, LPG as well as gas refining and liquefaction activities.

For Mr. Hachichi, the transport of hydrocarbons by pipeline and marketing are “the hub” of the company, noting that the partnership was a strategic choice to be further promoted in addition to renewable energies.

Highlighting the great importance of the human resources available to the Group, being its true capital, the new CEO underlined the importance of combining the efforts of Sonatrach workers to achieve the set objectives.

At the installation of Mr. Rachid Hachichi in his role as new CEO of Sonatrach n tour, Mr. Hakkar mentioned during his speech the steps that Sonatrach has taken over the last three years and “the remarkable results” achieved in the field of production and export, despite the difficult context at national and international levels, particularly due to the health crisis.

1. Hakkar highlighted the achievements accomplished, particularly in terms of continued production and development of refining activity, by involving national public and private establishments in the realization of the Group’s projects, particularly in the field of desalination of Seawater.