The European Union and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) are supporting a greener and more resilient economy in Tunisia. To this end, the Tunisian Banking and Finance Council (CBF) and the AICS yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at boosting private investment in sustainable agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture in the North African country under the EU’s Adapt programme. This partnership – the EU delegation said in a note – implements the recommendations of the 18 January meeting between the two parties and marks an important step in promoting a greener and more resilient economy in Tunisia, agenzianova reports.
The signing ceremony of this partnership took place in the presence of Neji Gandhi, President of the Cbf, Sonia Sahlì, General Delegate of the Cbf, and Andrea Senators, Director of the Aics regional office in Tunis, as well as several managers of financial institutions. The event followed the information and awareness session dedicated to the presentation of the Adapt Investment Support Fund and the discussion with financial institutions on the evaluation criteria for sustainable investments, the same source adds.
“The CBF’s commitment to sustainability in the agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture sector is a key pillar in creating a resilient economy in the face of environmental challenges. Banks and financial institutions have an important role to play through adapted financing mechanisms that promote food security and encourage sustainable investments,” said Néji Ghandri, stressing that “through our initiatives, our strategic partnerships and our support for financial inclusion, we seek to promote practices that benefit both local communities and Tunisia’s economic growth”. Andrea Senatori, for his part, affirmed that “this strategic partnership with the Banking and Finance Council is an important step in our joint commitment to promote an ecological transition in the agricultural and fisheries sectors in Tunisia”. The Director of AICS in Tunisia stated that “by integrating innovative financial instruments, we are strengthening our support for private investors while accompanying the country towards a sustainable development model”.
The memorandum paves the way for new synergies between CBF and AICS to strengthen the momentum of sustainable investment in Tunisia while encouraging innovation and the transition to a greener future. The EU-funded programme “Support for Sustainable Development in the Agriculture and Artisanal Fisheries Sector in Tunisia (ADAPT)”, with a budget of around €70 million, was launched in 2020 and will last until 2028. The programme focuses on private investment to drive economic, social and environmental change. Implemented by AICS in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), ADAPT contributes to Tunisia’s development through an innovative, equitable and environmentally friendly approach that reconciles security, food self-sufficiency and managing natural resources. Today it is the first delegated cooperation programme implemented by the Italian agency in Tunisia, agenzianova asserts.
TunisianMonitorOnline (NejiMed)
