Is Algeria ready to join the entrepreneurial race?

When I shared my plans of heading to Algeria to meet startups on Twitter I received puzzled responses, like one man who couldn’t believe someone would be interested in his country’s startups (or that they even existed at all).

It is true that Algerians are developing an entrepreneurial ecosystem quite late compared to its neighbors. And it is hard to think of an Algerian startup or web-based company, successful or not. According to Yasmine Bouchène, an Algerian journalist specialized in startups and founder of media site AlHubeco, the only company that resembles a startup in Algeria is Ouedkniss, a classifieds website, and the only mobile services are media apps.

Yet, despite the slow implementation of 3G and a expensive and hard to get broadband Internet, an increasing number of Algerians are using the internet, especially dating websites, classifieds platforms, and online media (of varying quality), and some Algerians are now working on interesting startup projects.

So, where does this lack of innovation motivation come from, and what can we do to help overcome the challenges?

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Is Algeria ready to join the entrepreneurial race?