Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune appointed Sifi Ghrieb as the country's new prime minister on Sunday and formally asked him to form a new government, a presidential statement said.

Ghrieb, who was the industry minister, had been serving as acting prime minister since Tebboune ended the tenure of Nadir Larbaoui last month.

The gas-producing North African country is an energy supplier for several European countries but has been seeking to diversify its economy.