Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration, and Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Ali Nafti, reaffirmed Tunisia’s commitment to supporting economic opportunities abroad and assisting Tunisian businesspeople, during a reception organized by the Tunisia-Africa Business Council (TABC) in honor of the heads of Tunisia’s diplomatic missions abroad.
He stressed the need for an innovative approach to strengthen African economic cooperation, leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
He highlighted the importance of promoting Tunisian investments, tourism, and exports, stating that this effort requires effective tools to support the national economy and open new markets.
TABC President Anis Jaziri praised the continued support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tunisian diplomatic missions, particularly their contribution to organizing the annual “Financing Investment & Trade in Africa” (FITA) conference.
The event featured the presentation of the “Tunisian Consortium for African Development” (TUCAD), an initiative bringing together several Tunisian institutions specializing in infrastructure, energy, and transport.
This consortium aims to access African markets through an action program coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its diplomatic missions.
Trade exchanges remain weak
Although Tunisian exports to the African market, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa, remain low in volume due to a structural orientation toward the European Union, “Made in Tunisia” is nonetheless starting to gain a foothold in several countries on the continent.
Despite persistent logistical obstacles—the true Achilles’ heel of Tunisian trade, the State has shown a clear determination to diversify its export outlets, with a strategic focus on Sub-Saharan markets.
Tunisia’s accession to the COMESA free trade area in 2018, followed by its accession to the AfCFTA, is part of this dynamic. While the results remain modest for now, COMESA membership has started to show signs of a shift toward East Africa, a region still largely unexplored by Tunisian operators.
In 2024, trade between Tunisia and Sub-Saharan Africa reached 1.6 million dinars, according to Mourad Ben Hassine, CEO of the Export Promotion Center (CEPEX).
Trade between Tunisia and Sub-Saharan African countries generates a trade surplus for Tunisia, with export revenues amounting to about 1.3 million dinars, he added, while presenting the first edition of the “Africa Business Partnership Days” (ABPD 2025), an event aimed at developing partnerships between Tunisia and Sub-Saharan African countries.
