The oil-and gas-rich nation will invest heavily in renewable energy, according to the government's energy transition strategy.

"Algeria has more than 3,000 hours of sunshine per year. Some regions of the country count 3,900 hours per year, including the plateaux and the desert," Minister of Energy and Mines Mohamed Arkab told the BBC.

The Algerian Renewable Energy Programme aims, in the short and medium terms, to build a capacity to produce 15,000 MW of solar energy, increasing the share of renewables in the energy mix of the country, which is currently just 1%.

The state-owned oil and gas company, Sonatrach, plans to replace its conventional power plants throughout the south of the country with renewable energy plants with a capacity of 1,300 MW.

Algeria has also announced the deployment of 1,000 chargers for electric vehicles throughout its 58 provinces by March this year to promote sustainability in the highly polluting transport industry.

The new annual budget has also imposed a blanket ban on the manufacture and importation of diesel vehicles.

Local car makers must also start a line of electric vehicles to continue their activity, according to the budget.

The minister has also expressed his country’s keen interest in new technologies and the various applications of hydrogen as a significant contributor to its clean energy transition.