ALGIERS- Algeria and China have signed a shareholder agreement to invest $7 billion to produce 5.4 million tonnes of fertiliser per year in the Algerian region of Tebessa, Algeria's national oil company Sonatrach said on Tuesday.

Algeria expects the phosphate project to create 12,000 jobs during the construction phase, the statement added.

(Reporting by Lamine Chikhi; Writing by Lina Najem; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)