Loans granted by the Tunisian Solidarity Bank (BTS) contributed to the creation of 24,316 permanent jobs in 2024, including some 7,294.8 jobs in the interior,” according to data published by the bank on Friday.
The number of jobs created in inland regions did not exceed 30% of the financing granted to entrepreneurs, and the average number of jobs created for each project financed by a BTS loan was more than 1.5.
This rate has fallen to 1.2 jobs in landlocked regions and 1.1 in priority delegations, according to the data.
These are 50 priority delegations spread over the country’s five districts with a low Local Development Index (LDI), measured according to the criteria of poverty, unemployment, economic growth and availability of services, said BTS Managing Director Khélifa Sboui on the sidelines of a press conference held Friday by the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training to launch the Specific Development Program for Social and Economic Inclusion.
According to the data published by the BTS, the services sector accounts for 37.2% of the loans granted to project promoters, while this share falls to 32% in the priority delegations.
The agricultural sector accounts for 27.4% of loans granted to promoters in all regions, while the rate of loans granted to finance agricultural activities has been increased to 32% in priority delegations.
In terms of gender, the data published by the BTS show that the proportion of women entrepreneurs who have received lines of finance and credit has reached 44% of the total number of beneficiaries of financing at national level, while this proportion does not exceed 32% in the priority delegations.