Tunisia : Gafsa; a new destination for local and international investment

The governorate of Gafsa has undergone a series of measures likely to change the image of the region with 330.00 inhabitants, and which is full of mines still consudered among the the main raw material resources, namely phosphate, in Tunisia. The development and extension works in the industrial areas of Gafsa, Métlaoui and Rédayef, and of construction of premises dedicated to industrial trade at El Medhilla, Moularès, Rédayef, El Guettar and Belkhir, have started. The studies undertaken concerning the installation of the industrial technological poles in this governorate ended. Projects which are within the framework of a coherent development plan for the industrial network in the region, to materialize the decisions announced on July 16^th 2008 by the president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to the benefit of the region.
An infrastructure which is improving day by day
The region of Gafsa expands over a surface area of 7.807 Km, divided into 11 governorates and 8 municipalities. The rate of connection of the region with the purification network is about 63%, while the rate of connection to the electrical network in rural areas is of 99.6%, a rate which almost the same as the rate of connection to drinkable water which is of 99.5%. During the last 20 years, the region attracted investments of about 2.474 MDT, which impacted the growth of economic and social indicators in the region. These investments concerned mainly the non-manufacturing industries and agriculture, and to a lower degree to social equipments, services and manufacturing industries. As to infrastructure, the region attracted investments of about 133.3 MDT. They were devoted mainly to the reinforcement of the road network with an investment of about 54 MDT and to improving bridges with investments of about 52.4 MDT.  Concerning the telecommunication sector, during the last 20 years, the region benefited of investments in this sector of about 126 MDT. These amounts contributed mainly to improving the rate of connection of telephone and internet networks in the region. The region has today 49 mobile and digital telephony stations, which helped the number of users of this service to increase to 196.001. It is also planned that the industrial area of the region should be equipped with an exchange centre linked via optic fibres, this involves an investment of about  1500 MDT.      
Tunisian and foreign groups are candidates for the creation of several thousand new jobs
In order to optimise resources in the region, improve the rate of the jobs created and integrate it in the national effort of Tunisia which consists in multiplying the industrial areas, a plan was decided by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and SMEs, which aims at generating 10 thousand jobs in the areas of industry and technology, by 2011, against 3500 jobs created now by about 55 enterprises based in the region. This plan includes the creation of a cementry in the community of Tabdite (delegation of Rédayef), with a production capacity of 1,2 million tons, which will create 410 new jobs, with a budget of about 400 million dinars. The cementry project will be realized within the framework of the Tunisian-Spanish partnership. Depending on the Tunisian chemical group, a factory for the production of triple super phosphate, is being built in the community of Medhilla, it has a total investment volume of 300 million dinars, it should generate 600 jobs. The plan also includes the creation of many small and medium size enterprises by local and foreign groups of investors, with the support of the Fund of re-orientation and development of the mining centres (FRDCM).  The projects identified in the region consist in the installation of factories making cables for cars and textile units by Italian and Japanese investors (Yakazi). Tunisian groups will also participate to this plan. The Group Poulina Holding confirme dits intentions to invest in the region, thus, a unit for steel production, another for bricks were announced, in addition to investments in the agricultural sector. The investments of this group are estimated at 120 MDT and they are expected to create 1170 new jobs. The Group Abdennadher also expressed its interest in the region with the creation of two units for the production of sanitary material and the production of clay. The amount of the Group investments in the region amount to about 38 million dinars and are expected to generate 700 new jobs. In the textile sector, the group « Khémissa » manifested its interest to establish in the region. Two totally exporting units will be then created for an investment of 5 MDT which will generate about 1300 new jobs. The plan will also include the implementation of a development pole to boost development in the region, and particularly, in the areas of the mining basin. A pole whose objective will be the realization of four industrial and technological complexes at Rédayef, Moularès, Métlaoui and El Medhilla, in addition to local industrial development in other areas of the Governorate.