“Twenty four Tunisian governorates not attractive for investment” (IACE 2016 Regional Attractiveness Report)

The 24 Tunisian governorates are not attractive for investment and do not offer a favourable climate for business, according to the “2016 Regional Attractiveness” Report presented by Instauring an Advocacy Champion for Economy (IACE) on Saturday at the “Maison de l’Entreprise” in Tunis, The report targeted a sample of 539 companies established on the Tunisian territory. It gives an overview of the local business climate and classifies Tunisia’s most competitive governorates through 6 sectors (municipal services, non-municipal services, transparency and access to information, participatory approach, infrastructure, living environment and labour…

Deep-water port project in Enfidha included in development plan 2016-2020

A deep water port worth over Dinar 2,000 million is being built in the gulf of Hammamet inside the industrial area of Enfidha. The port is built across 1,000 hectares, with 3,000 hectares behind the port, a depth of 17 metres (where the largest vessels can dock), 5 km of quays, of which 3.6 dedicated to containers and 1.4 for storage. Once it is completed, it will have a capacity of five million teu (twenty-foot equivalent unit) and four tonnes of solid storage room. The Tunisian government vies with the…

Tunisia: EBRD to provide EUR 14 mln under technical assistance for 700 SMEs

(TAP) – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will donate, in the next three years, EUR 14 million under technical assistance for the benefit of 700 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and some professional structures, according to Small Business Support – National Programme Manager at EBRD, Anis el Fahem. El Fahem told media on the sidelines of a meeting organized, Wednesday, by the Confederation of Tunisian Citizen Enterprises (CONECT) on EBRD’s support mechanisms to SMEs, that the Bank will soon sign agreements on funding public projects in the…

IMF Staff Team concludes mission to Tunisia

The mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to Tunisia, headed by Björn Rother, from October 28 to November 10, 2016, ended on Thursday. Björn Rother said in a statement that “the mission held constructive discussions with the Tunisian authorities on the policies needed to complete the first review under Tunisia’s EFF arrangement. The team welcomes the authorities’ good progress in adopting critical policies such as the new investment code and business plans for public banks, he underlined. Near-term priorities aim at containing rapid increases in public debt, which stands…

First Sfax international olive oil business meetings

The 1st Sfax international olive oil business meetings, organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with support from the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Programme opened on Wednesday. In addition to official representatives of four foreign embassies in Tunisia (China, Turkey, Spain and South Africa), the event was marked by a significant participation of importers and purchasing groups from 11 countries. Foreign importers participating in this event come from countries that are promising markets for Tunisian olive oil (Russia, Canada, United States, Great Britain, Brazil, Thailand, South Africa, India,…

IFC, Amen Bank Expand Partnership to Boost Investment and Economic Growth in Tunisia

The FINANCIAL – The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and Amen Bank signed an agreement today to help strengthen the bank’s positioning as a key player in the Tunisian financial system. IFC’s advisory team will help Amen Bank develop a comprehensive investor relations management framework aimed at improving financial communications nationally and globally. It will also help the bank better communicate on its strategy and pursue its development. “IFC is a key partner in helping us develop our business and allowing us to better…

IMF Publishes Fiscal Transparency Evaluation for Tunisia

The IMF Tuesday published a Fiscal Transparency Evaluation (FTE) report for Tunisia, which was carried out at the request of the Government of Tunisia by a joint team from the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs and Statistics Departments that visited Tunis in November-December 2015. This report assesses Tunisia’s fiscal transparency practices based on the IMF’s Fiscal Transparency Code. Tunisia has witnessed a profound transformation of its political institutions in the wake of the 2011 revolution, including a new Constitution that came into force on January 27, 2014. In this context, the authorities…

Tunisia ranks 93rd on Legatum Prosperity Index, leading Maghreb countries

Tunisia is the most prosperous country in North Africa, it ranks eight places above the second most prosperous country in the region, Morocco. It ranked 93th among the most prosperous countries in the world in 2016, according to the report published by “Legatum Prosperity Index,” on Thursday, November 3 by the Dubai-based Investment Company and Think Tank Legatum Institute. Tunisia has the second smallest prosperity deficit in North Africa: it is slightly larger than Morocco’s but a great deal smaller than Algeria, Egypt, and Libya’s. Tunisia stood ahead of Morocco…

Inflation rate down 3.9%, October 2016

The inflation rate dropped to 3.9% in October 2016, against 4.2% in September, breaking the upward trend noted early 2016 and cut off only during the month of July,  the latest statistics released Monday by the National Statistics Institute (INS) reveal. The fall in inflation is a factor of a year-on-year deceleration of  clothing and footwear group, declining from 9.3% in September 2016 to 7.1% in October. The inflation registered was notably due to the leap in prices of the food group by 2.7%, beverages, year-on-year, as prices of fruits…

Tunisia: EURO 180 million from AfDB to reduce regional disparities

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a loan of EUR 180 million for the reduction of regional disparities in Tunisia. This loan, which is the first phase of a programmatic budget support, is part of the Economic Recovery and Inclusive Development Support Program (PADRI). It will stimulate regional development in 16 priority governorates through the revival of investment, social inclusion and the promotion of local governance, said a statement from the AfDB. The PADRI aims to contribute to the achievement of sustainable and…