Foreign investments in Tunisia reached 1,217.1 million dinars (MD) in the first half of 2023, compared to 1,043.8 MD in the same period last year, an increase of 17.6%.
Taking into account the evolution of the exchange rate of the Tunisian dinar (TND), these investments reached 393.7 million dollars and 364.3 million euros, according to data from the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) received by TAP news agency. The investments are divided between portfolio investments (stock market investments), which went up 3,354% compared to the same period last year to reach 143.4 MD, and foreign direct investments, which grew 5% to reach 1082.7 MD.
Manufacturing in the lead
According to the same source, foreign direct investment (FDI) is split between energy (21.6%), manufacturing (48.1%), services (30.0%) and agriculture (0.3%). With regard to the sectoral breakdown of FDI, FIPA has indicated that the manufacturing sector attracted the most investments, with 521 MD, compared to 445.5 MD in the same period of 2021, up 16.9%.The services sector recorded an increase of 4.6% in the first half of 2023, with a value of 324.7 MD. Investments in the agricultural sector remain low. They reached 2.9 MD compared to 2.7 MD in the same period of 2022. The same applies to investments in the energy sector, which fall by 14.1% to 234 MD.
In the first half of 2023, the flow of FDI outside the energy sector made it possible to carry out 321 investment operations with a total value of 848.7 MD, creating 3,616 new direct jobs. The investment operations include 27 startup projects worth 30.5 MD, creating 420 new jobs, while the 294 expansion projects are worth 818.2 MD, creating 3,196 new jobs.
According to FIPA data, the regional breakdown confirms the wide disparity. More than 59.5% of FDI is concentrated in the Greater Tunis region (504.6 MD), mainly in the Tunis governorate with 358.5 MD and the North-East region with more than 22% of FDI (194.1 MD).
Qatar, the leading investor
The breakdown of FDI flows by country shows Qatar in first place with 273.9 million dinars, or more than 32% of total non-energy FDI. France is in second place with $255.7m, followed by Italy ($106.3m), Germany ($68.3m) and Switzerland ($19.1m).
In a statement to TAP, Hatem Soussi, Central Director of the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA), said with regard to portfolio investments that the remarkable increase in these investments (3354.4%) was due to the acquisition of shares on the Tunisian stock exchange by foreign investors. Soussi also pointed out that Qatar has become the leading foreign investor in Tunisia following two capital increases in QNB Tunisia (Qatar National Bank Tunisia) in 2022 and 2023.
