Amal Abdel Latif: adjusting the Ramadan calendar and new measures to reduce prices – New Algeria

Amal Abdel Latif, Minister of Internal Trade and National Market Control, supervised the opening of the national meeting for the sector’s executives, held under the slogan: “The internal trade sector: a lever for a modern, transparent and modern economy,” in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Ministry, the Chief of the Bureau, the General Directors, the Ministry’s executives, regional directors, and state trade directors, along with the directors of bodies under guardianship, as reported today, Saturday, in a statement by the Ministry.

Based on the same statement, the Minister stressed in her opening speech that this meeting constitutes an important station for evaluating the sector’s efforts, measuring the effectiveness of adopted policies, addressing weaknesses, and enhancing coordination between various structures, highlighting that the internal trade and national market control sector is a strategic sector that intersects with various ministerial sectors, reflecting its pivotal position in achieving the goals of economic and social development, and its fundamental role in building an effective and transparent trade system.

On the occasion of the approaching holy month of Ramadan, Amal Abdel Latif stressed that this date falls within the framework of evaluating the preparations launched during the past months, according to a proactive approach based on planning, mobilization, and launching a network of neighborhood markets across the various states, as spaces close to the citizen, enabling him to obtain basic materials at reasonable prices and protecting his purchasing power.

In this context, she stressed that neighborhood markets must be, above all, an effective mechanism to control prices and reduce the number of intermediaries, and not just spaces for sale, pointing to a number of practical measures taken by the sector to protect the purchasing power of the citizen, including extending the period of winter sales, which provides broader opportunities to benefit from competitive offers, in addition to the national initiative of the Algerian Economic Renewal Council to reduce prices during the month of Ramadan, within the framework of a responsible partnership between the state and economic operators.

In the same context, the Minister of Internal Trade pointed out that the bet is not limited to ensuring the abundance of goods, but also includes controlling their path from producer to consumer, in real time, and with accurate measuring tools that allow monitoring any imbalance in supply and demand, and any unjustified deviation in the price structure, while curbing speculative behavior at its source, and intervening at the right time and with the appropriate mechanisms.

In the field of consumer protection, the Minister called for intensifying supervisory work, in coordination with fraud suppression laboratories, to ensure that products comply with health and commercial standards, and to ensure safe and responsible consumption. She also stressed the importance of activating awareness campaigns to rationalize consumption during the month of Ramadan, and establishing a conscious consumer culture based on moderation, combating waste, and promoting the values ​​of solidarity and responsibility.

In terms of modernizing the sector, the Minister explained that the Ministry is moving steadily towards generalizing the use of digital platforms to track the distribution of products, manage markets, and improve decision-making mechanisms, in a way that enhances transparency, efficiency, and good governance, within the framework of the sector’s plan for the period 2026-2028.

In this context, she stressed the special importance that the sector attaches to developing and organizing e-commerce, as it is a strategic tributary to the modern economy and an effective means of bringing service closer to citizens and expanding distribution channels.

yourShe stressed that e-commerce and e-payment do not represent formal aspects of modernity, but rather are essential levers for transparency of transactions, reducing cash circulation, and integrating commercial activity into the official system, appreciating the involvement of merchants in the process of modernizing the sector, and the increasing expansion in the adoption of electronic payment methods.

Regarding the human resource, the Minister stressed that it remains the decisive factor in implementing sector reforms, by devoting continuous training, valuing competencies, and adopting objective standards in assuming responsibilities, in a way that establishes the principle of equal opportunities and transparency.

yourMinister Amal Abdel Latif noted the pivotal role of oversight agents, as they are the first field interface for the state’s policy of controlling the market and protecting consumers, stressing that the strategic position of the fraud suppression laboratories, which was recently strengthened by the addition of nine (09) modern mobile laboratories designated to work in ports and border areas, allowing for preliminary analyzes of imported goods at crossing points, reducing monitoring periods, and accelerating decision-making regarding conformity or rejection, in order to protect the market and consumer health, while ensuring that there is no disruption to the market. Activity of economic operators.

The person responsible for the trade and market control sector explained that these measures fall within an integrated vision aimed at supporting the economic trader and enhancing productive activity, while simplifying procedures and linking them to digitization, which is also embodied in the effort to modernize the National Center for Commercial Registry, to become an effective tool in serving the national economy, facilitating the path of investors and institutions, accelerating the launch of projects, and ensuring a transparent, measurable and follow-up commercial environment.

andAt the conclusion of her speech, the Minister of Internal Trade and National Market Control stressed that the bet is not limited to ensuring that the holy month of Ramadan passes in the best conditions, but rather extends to building a system capable of predicting, controlling and responding, according to a modern, rational and realistic vision, the results of which are measured by the tangible impact on the market.

As a reminder, the meeting witnessed the presentation of interventions by the General Directors of the Ministry and the Regional Directors of Trade, which addressed various aspects of the sector’s work, current challenges, and future prospects.