• Algeria and Italy signed university partnerships to strengthen research, entrepreneurship, and academic mobility between the two countries.

• The agreements involve Algerian institutions including Médéa, Ouargla, Tlemcen, Oran 1, Constantine 3, USTHB, and ENP El Harrach, and Italy’s University of Genoa.

• The move aims to address Algeria’s high youth unemployment, where 29.3% of 16–24-year-olds were unemployed and over 31% of graduates lacked jobs in 2024.

Algeria and Italy signed agreements on January 22, 2026, to expand academic cooperation, entrepreneurship training, and workforce-relevant skills development. The ceremony in Algiers was presided over by Algeria’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Kamel Baddari.

The accords cover universities in Médéa, Ouargla, Tlemcen, Oran 1, Constantine 3, the University of Science and Technology Houari‑Boumediene (USTHB), and the National Polytechnic School of El Harrach, in partnership with Italy’s University of Genoa and the Liguria Regional Agency for Economic and Financial Development.

Minister Baddari said the agreements aim to “strengthen cooperation and exchanges in research, expertise transfer, entrepreneurship, start-ups, and business incubators, while promoting mobility for the university community.” University of Genoa Rector Federico Delfino emphasized the importance of integrating “joint innovation and creativity programs between the two countries.”

The partnerships respond to Algeria’s persistent skills–employment mismatch. According to the National Statistics Office, unemployment stood at 12.7% at the end of 2024, with 29.3% of young people aged 16–24 without jobs and over 31% of unemployed holding higher education degrees.

University of Genoa ranks among the world’s top 300 universities according to CWUR 2025 and sits in the top 1.4% globally. QS World University Rankings 2026 shows further progress. With 32,000+ students, active mobility programs, and international cooperation initiatives, the university provides a strong platform for academic partnerships like the one with Algeria.

This article was initially published in French by Félicien Houindo Lokossou

Adapted in English by Ange J. A. de BERRY QUENUM