France reinforces financial support for Tunisia as Macron visits

France said on Wednesday that it would provide Tunisia with more than 272 million euros ($338 million) in new financing as it seeks to bolster the North African nation’s democratic transition. The support includes 177 million euros in loans, 50 million euros in aid, 30 million euros in debt relief and a 15 million euro credit line, and was announced during a visit to Tunis by French President Emmanuel Macron. France had already pledged to provide Tunisia with 1.2 billion euros in aid from 2016-2020, a commitment that Macron reaffirmed…

Tunisia, France sign eight co-operation agreements

Eight co-operation agreements were signed by Tunisia and France at a ceremony held Wednesday evening at the Carthage Palace, under the chairmanship of President Beji Caïd Essebsi and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, TAP reports. The agreements signed by the ministers and officials of both countries cover the fields of defence, security, justice, education, higher education, scientific research, vocational training, culture, economic development and entrepreneurship in the public sector, TAP said. Here is the list of agreements: – An amendment to the agreement on the conversion of debt into development…

2nd edition of Olive Tree Festival in Sfax : new prospects in Brazilian market

The city of Sfax (Tunisia) hosted Sunday the 2nd edition of the Olive Tree Festival  on the theme: “Olive tree, light and roots,” with a rich programme that includes  development, entertainment and tourism activities. The festival was marked by the participation of several cultural association and structures, civil society components, several travel agencies, tourism investors and foreign visitors in addition to the Tunisian Export Promotion Centre (CEPEX). The festival includes a scientific symposium that brought together local, European, Brazilian and US experts, as well as representatives of the International Olive…

PEACEapp workshop: Video games created by young migrants and refugees to boost intercultural dialogue

Thirty young migrants and refugees from ten countries have been trained to create video games though the MIT Media Lab gaming platform SCRATCH. This training is part of a three-day workshop on the theme “PEACEapp”, held from 28 to 30 January at the National Centre for Information for Children (CNIPE), at the initiative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), in partnership with NGO Association ADO+ and the Red Crescent Tunisian Association, TAP reports. This meeting aims in particular to boost intercultural dialogue and to offer young migrants and…

Omar Guiga, manufacturer of Tunisian car “Wallyscar” winner of IMF Innovation Contest

Young Tunisian Omar Guiga, who designed and manufactured the Tunisian car “Wallyscar”, is one of the winners of the Arab Youth Campaign on Innovation Contest organised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and that has targeted young people between the ages of 18 and 35 from the Middle East / North Africa region, TAP report. The young manufacturer told TAP his factory, located in El Kabaria (south of the capital Tunis), manufactures each year 200 cars that are exported to the French, Portuguese and Spanish markets, besides the Caribbean islands,…

Imam preacher of Grand Holy Mosque of Makkah to perform Friday prayer in Tunis

Imam preacher of the Grand Holy Mosque of Makkah (Masjid al-Haram), Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Abdullah bin Humaid will pay an official visit to Tunisia. Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Abdullah bin Hamid, who is also member of the Arabic Language Academy in Mecca, will deliver the next Friday sermon and will perform the Friday prayer  in Malik Ibn Anas Mosque in Carthage suburb of Tunis, Tunisia. Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Abdullah bin Humaid was also President of the Shura council of Saudi Arabia. TunisianMonitorOnLine  

Riyeda entrepreneurship event set for Tunisia

The Riyeda entrepreneurship event is set to take place in Tunis, Tunisia in February, bringing together 8,000 delegates to discuss emerging trends, share experiences and advice, and network, with the aim of encouraging investment in Tunisia’s entrepreneurs. The two-day event will be held on 21-22 February at the Laico hotel in Tunis, with activities to be divided into multiple different streams. The Riyeda Conference aims to share stand-out success stories, best practices, and to encourage a culture of leadership through a series of keynote speeches, panel discussions, and entrepreneur talks;…

Creating jobs for youth main challenge for Arab region: Azour

Unemployment continues to be the main challenge facing the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Jihad Azour, president of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the Middle East and Central Asia told Daily News Egypt Monday on the sidelines of the IMF’s Opportunity for All conference. The challenge of unemployment in the Arab region, including Egypt, has not reached the levels that result in more stability, he said, adding that stability and welfare are two faces of the same coin. He added that without social stability, citizens do not…

Tunisia: CFE plans to finance 5300 entrepreneurs up to $16.7 million in 2018

Centre Financier aux Entrepreneurs (CFE) Tunisie, a Tunisian microfinance institution, plans to fund 5300 entrepreneurs up toTND40 million ($16.7 million) in 2018. The move is backed by an additional TND12 million provided by Tunisian American Enterprise Fund as part of its strategy to support microfinance institutions’ development and financing in Tunisia. CFE obtained its license in April 2015. Its main mission is to increase access to professional financial services by micro and small scale entrepreneurs in order to contribute to sustained prosperity and private sector’s emergence in the country. Its main…

Hackathon 2018: Tunisian Youth Challenge for embracing prosperous future

The 6th edition of the Global Game Jam (GGJ) was hosted in the ULT University in Tunis at the initiative of the Tunisian Game Developers (TGD) Association and sponsored by the National Centre of Cinema and Image (CNCI). The TGD is the first non-profit association in Tunisia, representing the video game development industry. It was founded in February 2012, to advocate for the development of video games and promote industry collaboration in Tunisia. Houssem Ben Amor, co-founder, president and head of sponsoring at the Tunisian Game developers Association said that…