Mission and Vision

School of Academic Excellence – Innovation – Knowledge and Values

Founded with the ambition to establish a leading institution at the heart of the Mitidja region,ESSAIA stands as a unique academic environment in Algeria. It is distinguished by its specialized focus on food sciences and agri-food industries, bringing together diverse expertise and addressing key challenges in these vital sectors.
The school’s primary mission is to train professionals equipped with multidisciplinary,theoretical, and practical skills to serve the different branches of the Algerian agri-food sector.It seeks to provide students with high-quality education in food science and agri-food engineering, thereby enabling the sector to benefit from significant national technical and scientific support.
ESSAIA admits students from all 58 wilayas (provinces). At the end of their first two years of study, they take a national entrance examination to qualify for specialized training.
The school also offers companies “Global Knowledge Talents” : graduates equipped to help them address current and future challenges in the agri-food industry.
Through advanced scientific training, students acquire mastery of food processing principles, analytical and quality control methods, while also integrating environmental considerations and
modern approaches to quality management, hygiene, food safety, physical-chemistry, and food
engineering.
In addition, industry internships allow students to gain competitiveness and immerse themselves fully in the professional world. The school’s pedagogy is rooted in active learning, supported by a dedicated Industry Liaison Office, ensuring that training remains both practical and aligned with labor market needs.
Graduates will not only be able to integrate into the agri-food industry but will also be well prepared for academic research careers. Depending on the chosen specialization, they will be equipped to:

Implement food quality assurance and safety management systems
Ensure food products comply with national and international standards
Master and manage various food testing techniques
Develop, produce, and control food products for nutritional and functional purposes
Promote the use of natural resources, whether local or imported
Contribute to the development and promotion of traditional and regional food products
Optimize food transformation and preservation methods

Finally, applying the SWOT matrix (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) is a forward-looking approach that will shape the implementation and success of the ESSAIA’s strategic development plan.

ESSAIA’s Key Strengths

National Access

Admission is open at the national level to baccalaureate holders in the “experimental sciences,” “mathematics,” and “mathematical techniques” streams, whose average (GPA) is above the threshold set by ministerial circular (MESRS) at the beginning of each academic year. During the first two years, students receive a high-quality foundational education that prepares them for the national entrance examination to the Écoles Nationales Supérieures in the field of Natural and Life Sciences.

A Unique Higher School Program

The programs offered at ESSAIA are unique at the higher school level on a national scale. ESSAIA is committed to providing its students with high-quality training in the field of food science and agri-food engineering, enabling the Algerian agri-food sector to benefit from substantial national technical and scientific support. Innovative Degree-Granting Programs

The programs at ESSAIA are designed to meet the needs of industry and address the current challenges of the agri-food sector. The school emphasizes hands-on learning through process focused practical work, field visits, and company tours, with practical instruction accounting for more than 50% of total coursework. All necessary equipment is available across the training and research support platforms. ESSAIA places strong emphasis on aligning its training with the needs of industry. To this end, professionals from the industrial and economic sectors are regularly involved in the curriculum, contributing to at least 15% of annual teaching hours. Throughout their studies, students also participate in company visits designed to expose them to professional environments and future career paths. Two types of visits are organized:

Career discovery visits in the 3rd year.

In-depth scientific and technical visits in the 4th and 5th years.

These visits provide companies with the opportunity to showcase their expertise and infrastructure to future engineers as they define their career projects. One of ESSAIA’s key strengths is the contribution of industry professionals to educational projects, including participation in curriculum delivery, proposing student project topics, and serving on thesis committees. This approach allows ESSAIA to: Strengthen ties between the school and industry

Provide students with practical, field-based expertise

Leverage internal competencies

Promoting continuing education

Young and Dynamic Senior Faculty Team

Composed of more than 95% permanent and dynamic senior faculty members, ESSAIA’s teaching team integrates the latest advances in educational engineering, artificial intelligence, and information and communication technologies (ICTs) into lectures, tutorials, and practical work. Attentive to their environment, ESSAIA’s research professors are actively engaged in national research programs (PRFU, PNR) and international collaborations (FAO, SUSFOOD, PRIMA), as well as in tutoring and academic advising.

ESSAIA’s Opportunities

Strong Growth of the Agri-Food Sector in Algeria

The agri-food industry is one of Algeria’s main sources of employment, providing work for more than 23% of the active population and contributing about 13% to national wealth. With promising potential in cereals, dairy products, oils and fats, sugar refining, canning, mineral water, and beverages, this sector continues to grow in both scale and importance. Ensuring food security has become a national priority—not only economically, but also socially and politically. Today, the agri-food industry ranks as Algeria’s second-largest sector after energy, generating over 40% of the turnover of all non-hydrocarbon industries. More than 23,075 companies are active in this field, representing almost 29,54% of all small and medium-sized industries.This industry is also supported through the “Agricultural Renewal Policy,” launched in 2008 and extending to 2025, and the “Agri-Food Industry Development Plan,” launched in 2010. Despite this progress, Algeria’s agri-food sector still falls far short of meeting domestic needs, with the country importing nearly half of its basic agricultural requirements he industry also suffers from a lack of competitiveness and faces both technical and managerial challenges.These could be addressed through equipment modernization and the training of competent professionals in accordance with international standards, enabling mastery of foreign know-how transfer. Within this dynamic, ESSAIA situates itself by offering an academic program aligned with the standards of leading international schools in food science and technology.

Growing National Demand for Qualified Engineers

The ESSAIA is committed to developing training programs that respond to national needs, accessible to the best baccalaureate graduates and tailored to the requirements of the industrial sector.

The school has strengthened its ties with both national and international universities, positioning itself as a pioneer within the higher education system by helping to establish new partnerships among leading institutions. Located in proximity to major industrial hubs, ESSAIA offers its students privileged opportunities for immersion through internships in these sectors. By contributing directly to academic projects, industry partners foster a close and dynamic relationship between the school and the professional world. Furthermore, the introduction of R&D-focused engineering training in Food Sciences is expected to provide significant added value to economic operators. ESSAIA’s faculty members themselves maintain direct links with the professional and research-development spheres, ensuring a constant transfer of knowledge and expertise within the institution. Through this win-win partnership, ESSAIA is also positioned as a center for training and expertise dedicated to Algeria’s food industry. Its overarching mission is to support the growth of the sector through targeted training and appropriate mentoring initiatives.

Creation of Micro-Enterprises

The The Entrepreneurial Engineering Training Program, in which ESSAIA plays an active role, represents an innovative model for integrating entrepreneurial culture and innovation into the academic curriculum of higher education institutions. This initiative seeks to foster entrepreneurial skills among future graduates and better prepare them for successful professional integration. Launched by the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, this process is aligned with the ambitious objectives set forth by the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who envisions the creation of 20,000 startups and economic institutions over the next five years. The goal is to stimulate the national economy and promote innovation by creating favorable conditions for entrepreneurial development. To this end, ESSAIA, in collaboration with NESDA, is implementing a strategic approach that encompasses the strategic, marketing, financial, and human dimensions of innovative projects. These projects may lead to the creation of new activities, whether through the launch of startups or by developing new ventures within existing companies. This integrated training approach thus promotes the acquisition of multidisciplinary skills, equipping students to face the realities of the entrepreneurial world while actively contributing to the country’s economic transformation.

Expertise – Research & Development – Training

Expertise :

ESSAIA aims to provide expertise in the following sectors: cereals, milk and dairy products, meat products, fisheries, beverages, institutional catering, processing of foodstuffs of animal and plant origin, hygiene, food safety, analysis and quality control (particularly with respect to pesticide and antibiotic residues), nutrition, as well as quality management and environmental protection.

Research & Development::

In addition to its educational objectives and its mission to train engineers in food sciences and the agri-food industries, ESSAIA also pursues scientific research objectives. Research and development will be the key to the School’s success, ultimately enabling it to establish itself among the national centers of excellence.

The School’s research policy seeks to strengthen areas of excellence within the institution, to develop new multidisciplinary research, and to enhance responsiveness and synergy across research themes. To this end, accredited platforms will be established (such as sensory analysis and valorization of food processing by-products). The stakes of research are now decisive in a context where institutions are gaining greater autonomy.

ESSAIA's Priority Training Areas

ESSAIA is committed to providing excellence in education as a guarantee of successful
professional integration. To this end, the following actions are being pursued:

Strengthen faculty members’ competencies through training in ICTs, AI, and open
source software.
Involve professionals from the agri-food industries in the training of engineering
students (workshops, seminars, etc.).
Reinforce the use of English across the academic curriculum.
Conduct internal and external audits to evaluate the school’s academic programs.
Create a professional network capable of hosting students for internships, leading to their first employment opportunities.
Establish employability indicators tailored to specific sectors of activity.
Develop scientific cooperation with national and international institutions and research centers.

ESSAIA's Strategic Priorities

Employability

Adapting the curriculum to meet the needs of professionals in the agri-food industries,public authorities, and institutions.
Strengthening the integration of R&D engineers into IAA companies.

Services

Investing in equipment acquisition and in the development of facilities designed to support training, research, and stakeholders in the agri-food industry.

Customized Training :

Identifying the needs of partners and adapting training programs to the target audience.
Developing practical continuing education programs in specialized laboratories(sensory analysis, good hygiene practices, formulation and optimization, etc.).

Continuing Education and Specialized Postgraduate Programs (PGS) :

Good Hygiene and Preparation Practices in institutional catering
Good Manufacturing Practices for food products
Good Manufacturing and Quality Control Practices of dietary supplements
Good Practices in Auditing and Inspection
Strategy for setting up monitoring units related to the agri-food industry.

Specialized postgraduate training programs (PGS) for professionals in industrial and institutional sectors.
Development of School-Industry Projects focused on nationally significant areas(life sciences, plant, animal, and microbial biotechnologies, improvement of human nutrition by promoting quality agricultural products, product labeling, application of quality assurance standards in the agri-food industries, treatment and valorization of agri-food industry waste,environmental protection, nutrition, health, and food safety).

Five-Year Action Plan

Implementation of the technical platform project (Food Engineering Hall).
Launch of new specializations.
Positioning ESSAIA as a national leader in food science and technology education.