The Algerian government will invite international firms to bid for the USD 6 billion New City Hassi Messaoud project, by issuing a tender before the end of this year, a senior official told Zawya.
"Construction, which is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2013, will take 96 months to complete," said Yousef Qureshi, president of the Popular Council of Ouargla.
According to data from the ministry of housing and urbanization, Algeria needs 225,000 housing units per year to meet demand. The government creates 75,000 units annually, leaving a shortage of 150,000.
The New City of 4,483 hectares will contain more than 18,000 housing units, divided between collective and individual residences, 32 nurseries and kindergarten facilities, 22 elementary schools, six high schools and complementary schools, an Algerian Petroleum Institute, a Research and Development Institute, several sports fields, a hospital with a capacity of 240 beds, a health center and a multi-service clinic.
"The project will breathe new life into the economy of Ouargla and Hassi Messaoud by creating new jobs and attracting foreign investment," Mourad Baror, an economics professor at Algerian University, told Zawya. "It will also refresh the tourism proposition of the area."
© Zawya 2012
