Migration and rural transformation

The wave of mass migration of youngsters from Africa to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea is a major challenge confronting the continent at the moment. Thousands of able-bodied young men and women are deserting their homes in search of “greener pastures” and many have lost their lives on the tortuous journey.What started as routine migration by scores of mainly economic migrants fleeing hardship in Africa has turned into a global nightmare and Africa is as confounded as the European Union is shocked.Over time, the number of countries whose citizens are…

Tunisia raises fuel prices in push to reduce deficit

– Tunisia announced on Sunday the second increase in fuel prices in six months, raising the price of petrol by 2.85 percent as the government tries to rein in the budget deficit. The price of a liter of gasoline will rise from 1.75 dinars to 1.8 dinars from Monday, the ministry of energy, mines and renewable energy said in a statement. The price of diesel will also increase by 0.05 dinars, to 1.56 dinars a liter for low sulfur diesel and 1.28 for regular diesel, the ministry said. The price…

MENA Starving: About 25% of Population On the Brink of Famine

Food security in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is worsening very fast because of conflict in a number of countries in the region, the United Nations commented. In the countries that are hit hardest by the conflict – Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya and Sudan – an average of more than a quarter of the population was not sufficiently nourished, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said in its annual report entitled The 2017 Edition of the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in the Near East and…

Tunisia ranks second in Global Knowledge Index among North African Countries

Tunisia came second in North Africa with a score of 42 taking the 80th position globally, in the Global Knowledge Index (GKI), co-established by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF). Morocco was ranked first in North Africa and third in the continent in the Global Knowledge Index (GKI), while Algeria with a score of 40 points came third. Despite its good ranking compared to North African neighbors, Morocco received a rating of 43/100, which leaves it in the 77th position globally…

Tunisia Sees Opportunity in Organic Production

Ninety-five percent of Tunisia’s olive groves are tended using traditional practices without the use of any pesticides. Tunisia’s olive oil industry is increasingly turning its focus to the development of organic processes and the marketing of its organic olive oils as a strategy to increase exports. A government official confirmed a national strategy to promote Tunisia as a producer of organic products to the world. “What we want to show is that Tunisia is an organic country. This is the model we want to show to the world,” said Samia…

Migrants: UNHCR, no intention of creating camps in Tunisia

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) does not plan to create refugee camps in Tunisia for those who have been deported from Libya due to mistreatment, Tunisian news agency Tap reports, quoting the agency’s representative in the North African country, Mazin Abu Shanab. Shanab was also quoted as saying that it will be possible to send back the refugees and migrants to their home countries, including Chad and Niger. The UNHCR office in Libya is closely monitoring the situation and the condition of migrants in Libya, Shanab added…

With laws against rape and child marriage, 2017 was a momentous year for women’s rights

In India, lawmakers ruled that having sex with a wife aged 15-18 is punishable as rape, while Lebanon, Tunisia and Jordan scrapped laws that allowed rapists to escape punishment if they married their victims. Beginning with the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, who swiftly moved to restrict abortions around the world, 2017 brought a reminder to many that women’s rights have a long road ahead. But the trials ushered in a new era of resistance in the United States and elsewhere, while countries in the Middle East, Africa, and…

Tunisia’s annual inflation reaches 6.3 % in November

Tunisia’s annual inflation rate reached  6.3 % in November from 5.8 % in October, according to data released by the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) on Thursday. The food price index was 10.2 % in November against 8.4 % in October, the data revealed. The BCT kept the main interest rate at 5 %. The statement said there was a need to stop inflationary pressures gaining further pace. Tunisia’s trade deficit widens year-on-year by 23.5 % in November Tunisia’s trade deficit widened by 23.5 % year-on-year in the first 11…

Tunisia working on issue of duties on Turkish goods

Tunisia is working to resolve the issue of duties on Turkish imports through developing exports from both countries, Tunisia’s minister of development, investment and international cooperation said on Thursday. “We are working to resolve this issue, and we have the commitment from the Turkish head of state and the Turkish government to improve the capacity of the private sector and to export to the Turkish market,” Zied Ladhari told Anadolu Agency at the Tunisia-Turkey Business Forum held for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Tunisia this week. His comments came…