Twenty Tunisian companies operating in the health sector (private clinics), construction, agriculture and new technologies … were created following the prospecting missions organized by the Tunisia-Africa Business Council (TABC), said its president Bassem Loukil.
Speaking, Thursday, on the sidelines of a TABC breakfast-debate: “2017 Retrospective and 2018 program”, Loukil recalled that several partnership agreements and dozens of commercial contracts were signed between Tunisian and African operators in 2017.
“We had very good feedback from the Tunisian Foreign Trade Insurance Company (COTUNACE) and some African banks that finance these projects,” he added.
Referring to the issue of funding, the official recalled that it is the major problem and the main obstacle to the development of trade with the African continent.
“Even when they sign contracts, Tunisian operators are unable to mobilize the necessary funding, hence the idea of organizing, on February 6 and 7, 2018 in Tunis, an international conference on investment,” he stressed.
He added that the conference “Financing investment and trade Africa”, will bring together 500 African executives and decision-makers, including ministers of investment, international cooperation and trade and heads of Pan-African and international financial institutions, in addition to experts .
The participants will examine ways of enriching financing schemes and techniques with the aim of consolidating intra-African trade and investment projects and enabling Tunisia to enhance its image in the African market, said Loukil.
In addition, he emphasized the huge potential of projects awaiting funding in Guinea, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, adding that between 75 and 80 Tunisian operators specializing in new technologies operate in Africa.
Presenting the 2018 program, marked by prospecting missions, some of which will coincide with inaugural flights of national carrier Tunisair, TABC Secretary General Anis Jaziri cited participation in the Khartoum International Fair (Sudan, 22-26 January), a medical caravan in Burkina Faso, overseen by the TABC Sfax office (February), Multi-sector Mission in Ghana (end of February), health sector mission and medical caravan in Benin (early March)…
There is also the second edition of the Tunisian African Empowerment Forum of the Sfax African Health Hub (October 2018) and Fashion Africa (December 2018).
