BCT holds key interest rate unchanged at 7.75 %

The Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) has kept its key interest rate unchanged at 7.75% for the second time since a hike in February, the BCT reported on Friday. The BCT raised the rate in February to 7.75% from 6.75% in an effort to combat record high inflation. It was the third such increase in the past 12 months. It kept the rate unchanged at its last meeting in March. Tunisia’s annual inflation rate in April slowed to 6.9% from 7.1% in March and 7.3% in February. TunisianMonitorOnline

René Trabelsi: US travel agencies are interested in Tunisia

Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, René Trabelsi announced that several US travel agencies have expressed interest in organizing tourist excursions to Tunisia. An announcement that was made on the fringes of the collective Iftar held on May 28, 2019, bringing together Muslims, Christians and Jews with the participation of many political figures. He added that a visit to the United States is planned in July, where the Minister will travel to Washington and New York to meet with these travel agencies, which will plan Tunisia as a tourist destination, particularly…

Dunes Electroniques back next September 21 – 22

Les Dunes Electroniques festival will resume Ong Jmel at the edge of Tunisia’s southern desert with a two-day musich show in a breath-taking location best known for its starring role in the Star Wars film franchise. Ong Jmel served as the film setting for Luke Skywalker’s hometown Mos Espa in George Lucas’ original trilogy of films. First taking place in 2014, the Dunes electroniques have been seeking to contribute to the local development and tourism in the Djerid region and Nefta in Tozeur by targeting a larger public from across…

Tunisian-Korean Chamber of Commerce launched

The Tunisian-Korean Chamber of Commerce (CCTC) was launched officially on Wednesday in Tunis. The Chamber’s main objectives is to boost bilateral economic relations and find solutions to the problems facing both countries’ companies and investors, in addition to strengthening the tourism sector and the exchange between universities in the fields of education, research and development. The establishment of the chamber was announced at a press conference on Wednesday, in the presence of a Korean parliamentary delegation of four MPs and South Korea’s ambassador to Tunis, Cho Koo Rae, as well…

Tunisian farmers angry at Trade Ministry’s policy

The Tunisian Farmers’ Union (SYNAGRI) criticised the ongoing policy adopted by the Ministry of Trade for the import of three thousand tonnes of potatoes from Egypt. In a statement, SYNAGRI says the cost of imported potatoes is estimated at $560 per tonne, or 1,680 millimes per kilo. The ton will then be offered for sale at 770 millimes per kilo, which increases the state’s losses. Tunisian farmers are working as best they can in a difficult context (climate change, debt, rising production costs and rising prices for inputs such as…

UN Chief Appoints Tunisia’s Khiari To Head Peacebuilding In Asia, Middle East – Spokesman

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Khaled Mohamed Khiari of Tunisia to be the United Nations’ Assistant Secretary-General for middle East, Asia and the Pacific, the Office of the Spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday. “United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced today the appointment of Khaled Mohamed Khiari of Tunisia, as Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations,” the statement said. Khiari served as Tunisia’s Ambassador to the United Nations from 2012-2018 and as Deputy Head…

Green Economy: 2019 Environmental Information Trophy awarded to Saida Zemzemi

The 2019 Environmental Information Trophy was awarded to Tunisian Saida Zemzemi  Editor-in-Chief and CEO of the specialized magazine “Biaa-News”, by the Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment. This distinction, which was handed to Saida Zemzemi by Minister of Environment and Local Affairs Mokhtar Hammami, supports the promotion of environmental information and efforts to popularize and entrench ecological values. “Biaa-News” Magazine is distinguished by covering the regional congress on “the promotion of oasis systems in the North African and Mauritania region” which was held on May 17 and 18,  2019 in…

Saudi Arabia to host 14th Islamic Summit

Saudi Arabia will host the 14th session of the Islamic Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Makkah on May 31, 2019, which will be chaired by the Custodian of the two holy mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The summit, to be attended by leaders members of OIC, will be held under the theme “Makkah Summit: Together for the Future” aims at developing a unified stance on current issues and events in the Islamic world. Senior officials will convene before the summit and will submit the…

Call for Tunisian start-ups to participate in Tokyo International Conference on African Development

On the sidelines of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) launched a call for applications to Tunisian start-ups to participate (for free) in this Forum. The forum will be held August 28-30, 2019 in Yokohama, APII said on its website. Several issues will be addressed by TICAD new edition including the challenges of investment in infrastructure and energy sectors. The African Development Bank (AfDB) and JICA will propose solutions, from their respective experiences, to be developed with the private sector. Thematic sessions…

Tunisia joins the International Transport Forum

Tunisia has joined the International Transport Forum (ITF) as the organisation’s 60th member. Ministers of transport from the 59 current member states agreed unanimously to admit the North African nation to the organisation at their Annual Summit in Leipzig, Germany, on 23 May. Tunisia is the organisation’s second member state on the African continent, joining Morocco, ITF reports in its website. The ITF is the only intergovernmental organisation with a global mandate for all transport modes. Housed by the OECD in Paris (France), the ITF acts as a think tank…