The third edition of the Tunisia-France Industrial Co-development Forum, organized by Business France, was held in Tunis on Thursday, June 6.
The Forum was attended by French Ambassador to Tunisia, Anne Gueguen and CEO of the Agency for the Promotion of Industry and Innovation (APII), Omar Bouzouada, as well as representatives of Business France, numerous economic players and the heads of public and private companies.
In her speech, Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, Fatma Thabet Chiboub, stressed the importance of this forum, which aims to accelerate bilateral industrial cooperation, pointing out that France is considered a strategic partner in a number of sectors, including textiles, automobiles and aeronautics.
This partnership currently involves more than 579 French industrial companies, generating some 105,000 jobs.
While stressing the importance of attracting French investment to Tunisia, Chiboub reaffirmed the government’s commitment to increasing investment opportunities and providing all the necessary facilities to improve the business climate, which will support the Tunisian economy and facilitate foreign companies’ access to the COMESA common market and benefit from the differentiated advantages of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA), ratified by Tunisia.
The Minister also presented the guidelines of the national industrial strategy for 2035, which aims in particular to stimulate investment in various promising industrial sectors and strengthen the competitiveness of companies, while committing to an environmental ecosystem aimed at reducing carbon emissions.
Upgrading human capital
This business forum will focus on the challenges of decarburization, digital transition, financing and upgrading human capital skills, with 10 French companies offering innovative and recognized solutions to meet the needs of Tunisian industry, according to a press release from the French Embassy in Tunisia.
Organized by Business France in partnership with TAA, Atip, Elentica, GITAS, FTTH, Novation City, FIPA, CCITF and APII, this event is aimed at all Tunisian and foreign industrial companies established in Tunisia.
France is the destination of 24% of Tunisian exports, making it one of the few countries with which Tunisia has a positive trade balance.
France is also Tunisia’s first source of foreign direct investment and its first tourist market in Europe.
1,400 French companies are established in Tunisia, and nearly 900,000 French people visited the country in 2019.
A status underlined by the director of Business France North Africa-Tunisia, Michel Bauza, who recently announced that North African companies have launched 38 new investment projects in France, creating a total of 719 jobs.
Of these, 19 were launched by Tunisian entrepreneurs, resulting in the creation of 361 jobs – more than half of the jobs created by new North African projects in 2023.
According to the same source, Tunisia thus overtakes Morocco, which is in second place with 17 projects and 341 jobs, followed by Algeria with only 2 projects and 17 jobs.
