Laqab makes a presentation before the Finance and Budget Committee regarding the 2021 budget settlement – Algerian Dialogue

Today, Tuesday, Minister of Communication, Mohamed Laqab, made a presentation before members of the Finance and Budget Committee of the National People’s Assembly regarding the settlement of the 2021 budget.
The Minister explained that “the total appropriations consumption rate for the year 2021 amounted to 99.62 percent, as the total allocated appropriations amounted to 25,325,742,000.00 DZD, of which 25,228,465,153.12 DZD were consumed.”
He pointed out that the years 2020 and 2021 “were marked by exceptional circumstances associated with the Corona pandemic (Covid-19), which automatically affected budget consumption,” pointing out that the sector achieved “tangible results, including the equipment that was acquired, especially in the public television institution, which is in need.” To renew its equipment,” and therefore the sector remains – as he said – “in need of financial funds to achieve this, in addition to the Radio and Television Broadcasting Corporation, which also needs to develop its equipment, especially for broadcast radars at the level of the new states.”
The communications sector was known – the minister adds – “the implementation of several projects, including the establishment of two television and radio broadcasting centers in the states of Biskra and Djanet, a center for the exchange of news and television and radio programs for the Arab States Broadcasting Union and another for the African Broadcasting Union,” in addition to “preparing the infrastructure for the urban library to host the regional radio headquarters for the state.” A camp and rehabilitating the infrastructure of the cultural center to host the headquarters of the regional radio for the state of Tebessa.”
Regarding terrestrial digital television broadcasting, Laqab highlighted that it “has been of interest to the authorities and has witnessed a qualitative leap in the field of coverage thanks to the state’s financial allocations.”
He added that the 2021 budget was also allocated to “improve and strengthen the spread of radio broadcasting (FM) and complete the spread of terrestrial digital television broadcasting,” in addition to “strengthening the role of institutional communication by launching the public television channel Al-Shababiya, broadcasting advertisements, awareness campaigns, and training the employees of the central administration of the sector.” .
The minister confirmed that his sector recorded “an improvement in the number of licenses granted to newspapers, as well as in the accreditation of television channels and foreign press correspondents,” in addition to “an increase in the daily rate of printing daily and weekly newspapers, compared to a decline in the number of monthly and specialized newspapers.”