Record global gold prices, surpassing $3,800 per ounce, have placed severe pressure on Tunisia’s gold sector.
According to Hatem Ben Youssef, president of the National Union of Jewelers, local jewelers are facing squeezed profitability, with margins falling below 2.5% and compelling some to sell below cost.
This strain is intensified by the closure of the Central Guarantee Office (Poinçon), a move that has disrupted real-time valuation and weakened the sector’s operational foundation.
The resulting uncertainty has dampened consumer demand during the critical wedding season, with buyers shifting to smaller items and unregulated, speculative transactions rising.
In response, industry leaders are demanding the immediate reopening of the Central Guarantee Office to restore price transparency, rebuild market confidence, and safeguard the future of Tunisia’s gold trade.
