A €4.6-million partnership agreement was signed between the Tunisian “Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations” (CDC) and the French Development Agency (AFD) on Thursday March 25, 2021.
The grant is intended to support initiatives in favor of women entrepreneurship in Tunisia. It is part of the Youth, Entrepreneurship and. Digital Technology initiative (JET), initiative launched during the visit of President Macron in January 2018.
In the framework of this initiative, and since September 2018, the partnership between AFD and CDC, through the ENLIEN project, has supported five entrepreneurial initiatives: “Souk El Kahina” initiated by Enda Inter-Arab, “Start’Act” led by Carthage Business Angels and Wiki Startup, several cohorts of the Afkar incubator, and honor loans granted by Réseau Entreprendre and Initiative Tunisie).
ENLIEN supports the Agency for the Promotion of Industry and Innovation (APII) in strengthening its 28 public incubators.
The FAST project – Women and Acceleration for Startups and VSEs (Very Small Enterprises) – aims to promote and support other entrepreneurial initiatives, to participate in the fight against youth unemployment and the boosting of social and female entrepreneurship.
The Tunisian “Caisse des Dépots et Consignations” will lead the implementation of this project with the technical assistance of Expertise France.
Mr. André Parant, Ambassador of France in Tunisia, said “the launch of the FAST project materializes the commitment made by the French President to develop entrepreneurship in Tunisia. FAST will strengthen the capacities of women entrepreneurs and business creators, to develop their business and create jobs”.
Yazid Safir, Director of AFD in Tunisia pointed out that the “FAST project contributes to strengthening the structuring of the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Tunisia by acting on the main obstacles faced by project holders and SMEs in terms of support and mobilization of funding, especially in the regions.”
Dr. Boutheina Ben Yaghlane, Director General of CDC, said the FAST project will, in particular, promote the development of female entrepreneurship: “investing in women is one of the most effective ways to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth. For its part, CDC is working to encourage and support women’s entrepreneurship, particularly in the regions.”
