We previously worked in Algeria from 2019-2022 and are currently implementing the ADIL (Appui au développement local intégré) project. Our work takes place both at the central level and in 12 municipalities across 4 wilayas, with a focus on strengthening local governance and supporting Algeria’s government in local economic development and decentralisation.
Our staff:
Mr. George Hartman
Team Leader
Mr George Hartman has extensive professional experience as a team leader and consultant across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. He has worked with VNG International for more than ten years, contributing to programmes in countries including Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and Jordan. His areas of expertise include institutional reform, decentralisation, local governance development, regional planning, and organisational change management. Mr Hartman currently serves as Team Leader of the ADIL project, overseeing its strategic direction and implementation in Algeria.
Ms. Soumeya Martinez
Deputy Team Leader and Country Representative
Ms Soumeya Martinez has over ten years of experience working with international organisations, including GIZ Algeria. She has been part of VNG International since 2020, where she has held several responsibilities, notably serving as focal point for the implementation of pilot activities under the SHIRAKA project (RVO Netherlands – MENA Partnership). An Algerian national, Ms Martinez currently fulfils the role of Deputy Team Leader and Country Representative for the ADIL project in Algeria.
Mr Nabil Aoumeur
Communication expert
Mr Aoumeur is an institutional and digital communication expert with over ten years of experience supporting international cooperation agencies, United Nations organisations, and development projects in the design and implementation of communication strategies. His expertise spans strategic communication, content creation, digital communication, public relations, event management, and awareness-raising campaigns.
Throughout his career, Mr Aoumeur has contributed to projects in the fields of sustainable development, governance, innovation, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic inclusion. His approach combines creativity, strategic thinking, and strong results orientation, ensuring that communication products are accessible, engaging, and tailored to diverse audiences.
Within the ADIL project, Mr Aoumeur serves as Communication Expert, developing innovative communication tools, strengthening stakeholder engagement, and maximising the impact of project activities.
Ms Khadidja Boussaid
Gender and Youth Expert
Ms Khadidja Boussaid is an urban sociologist and researcher at the Centre de Recherche en Économie Appliquée pour le Développement (CREAD) at the University of Algiers 2. She is also a post doctoral researcher at the Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM) in Tunis and an associate researcher at the University of Lausanne. Within the ADIL project, Ms Boussaid acts as Gender and Youth Expert, focusing on participatory approaches, social inclusion, and the integration of youth and women in integrated territorial development processes.
Mr Menaouar Zouggar
Finance and Accounting Manager
Mr Menaouar Zouggar has more than fifteen years of experience in programmes supporting cooperation between Algeria and the European Union, including PME II, Cap PME, PAJE, DIVECO II, PADSEL NOA, and PADICA. He has been a certified auditor and chartered accountant since 2006. An Algerian national, Mr Zouggar currently holds the position of Finance and Accounting Manager for the ADIL programme, where he is responsible for financial management and compliance.
Ms Chahrazed Dahache
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Expert
Ms Chahrazed Dahache is an econometrician with more than twenty years of experience in data analysis, project coordination, and evaluation. She is certified in Development Evaluation by ENAP (Canada) and holds several ITCILO certifications, including Monitoring and Evaluation.
Ms Dahache has worked in collaboration with both national and international partners, such as UNDP and GIZ, and currently serves as Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Expert for the ADIL project. She also serves as a coach-trainer in ITCILO certification programmes in Monitoring and Evaluation and Development Evaluation, and currently holds the position of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Expert within the ADIL project.
Ms Nour El Houda
Administration and Logistics Manager
Ms Nour El Houda has over seven years of experience working in the field of international cooperation and with development organisations, including UNDP and VNG International. Her professional background focuses on administrative management, logistics, and the organisation of events. Since January 2025, Ms El Houda has been serving as Administration and Logistics Manager for VNG International within the framework of the ADIL project in Algeria.
Mr Lamri Bouhait
Local coordinator of the wilaya of Mostaganem
Mr Lamri Bouhait is ADIL’s Local coordinator in the wilaya of Mostaganem. He successively held the positions of director of public hospital, head of daïra in several daïras of the country and secretary general of wilaya. Mr Bouhait also taught at the university, as well as at the National School of Administration (ENA) in Algiers, the National Higher School of Public Health Management (ENMAS) in Algiers and the National Engineering School of the city (ENIV) in Tlemcen.
Writer and author of publications on local administration, territorial marketing and local strategic planning, Mr Bouhait holds a doctorate in business administration. He is a graduate of the ENA in Algiers and the National School of Public Health (ENSP) in Rennes (France), as well as a master’s degree in management and marketing from the ESGP in Paris. He also has training in quality management systems (QMS) and environmental management systems (EMS).
Mr Mohamed Benyamina
Local coordinator of the wilaya of Tébessa
Mr Mohamed Benyamina brings over 17 years of experience in project management, institutional collaboration, and socio-economic development across Algeria.
He has led and coordinated complex multi-stakeholder projects for internationally renowned organizations, including the International Labour Organization, Oxfam International, and Handicap International, with a strong focus on inclusive development, women’s entrepreneurship, and the socio-professional inclusion of vulnerable people.
As an Algerian national with deep roots in the country’s institutional landscape and fluency in Arabic, French, and English, Mohamed Benyamina brings both contextual expertise and operational agility to VNG International’s mission of strengthening local governance in Algeria in his role as Local coordinator of the wilaya of Tébessa.
Mr Seddik Bentahar
Local coordinator of the wilaya of Tiaret
The career of Mr Seddik Bentahar combines industrial expertise and territorial command. His career began in the 1970s and 1980s within Sonatrach and major national companies, where he served as general manager of a major national company. This period forged his rigor as a manager.
In October 1993, Seddik Bentahar switched to the upper administration by presidential decree, integrating the wilaya of Algiers during the creation of the governorate of Greater Algiers. With this metropolitan experience, he became a central figure of the local administration as chief of daïra: first in Bouira, then in Béjaïa, then in Médea and finally in Aïn Defla in 2013.
Known for his integrity and mastery of urban planning files, he completed his duties in June 2018. Mr Bentahar is now ADIL’s Local coordinator of the wilaya of Tiaret.
Mr Alkama Derradji-Belloum
Local coordinator of the wilaya of Biskra
Mr Alkama Derradji-Belloum brings over 23 years of experience in environmental governance, sustainable development, and public policy implementation within Algeria’s Ministry of the Environment (MATE, MEER). He is the Local coordinator of the wilaya of Biskra.
He has extensive expertise in territorial planning and local development, with strong specialization in waste management and circular economy. Throughout his career, he has contributed to the design, supervision, and evaluation of major environmental infrastructure projects and industrial investments. Mr Derradji-Belloum has also played an active role in international cooperation, contributing to key national strategies such as the SNGID under the EU–Algeria PAPSE programme, as well as initiatives on circular economy, off-grid renewable energy, and the National Climate Plan.
Recognized for his expertise in governance, institutional reform, and capacity building, he brings solid experience in supporting sustainable and resilient development initiatives.