Skechers to build its first African factory in Algeria

US footwear company Skechers will build its first African factory in Algeria under an agreement it signed with a local partner.

The plant will produce 300,000 pairs of shoes a year in the first phase, rising to 2 million when the project is fully completed by 2031, Algeria’s ministry of commerce and export promotion said in a statement.

“This project embodies the state’s strategy aimed at replacing imports with national production, through attracting productive foreign investments and strengthening partnerships with major global brands,” minister Kamel Rezig said.

He oversaw Sunday’s signing of a deal between Skechers and Algeria’s Tradifoot to supply the local market and export footwear to Africa, Europe and beyond.

At an international brands exhibition in Algiers in January, Tradifoot announced that the first phase of the project would be completed in the first quarter of 2027 and it would span 22,000 square metres in Bab Ali, 20km west of Algiers.

Tradifoot also said the project aims to “actively contribute to the development of Made in Algeria, create skilled and sustainable jobs, and position Algeria as a regional production and export hub.” The site will generate 450 jobs in its first phase and will expand to 1,500 employees, it said.

Skechers ranks among the world’s largest sports footwear brands alongside Nike, Adidas and Puma. It creates a wide range of footwear, apparel and accessories.

Gas-rich Algeria has been locked in a drive to attract capital in manufacturing and other sectors to diversify its hydrocarbon-reliant economy.

The Algerian Agency for Investment Promotion signed contracts worth more than $11.4 billion, including $5 billion in FDI and the rest in commercial deals, at a trade event in September last year.

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