Mehdi Bahouri, member of the National Executive Bureau of the Confederation of Tunisian Citizen Enterprises (CONECT), confirmed that the results of a survey conducted by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) on investment in the manufacturing sector during the first half of this year showed an improvement in the outlook of industrial business leaders, with signs of a gradual return to a positive trend after a period of decline.
In his interview on the program Eco Mag on Express FM, he explained that the share of business leaders expressing a positive view on the evolution of gross investment rose from 13% in the first half of 2024 to 17% in the second half of the same year.
Business leaders also anticipate a further improvement in the second half of 2025, according to the survey results.
He stressed that the survey is an important tool for assessing the reality on the ground before the release of the final figures on investment and growth, known as “soft data,” which reflect the general sentiment and outlook of economic actors.
Manufacturing industries contributed 0.58 percentage points to the estimated 3.2% economic growth rate in 2025, even though investment indicators in the sector have not yet returned to their pre-COVID-19 levels.
Bahouri noted that the economic landscape is undergoing structural changes linked to global shifts in value chain distribution, as well as the impact of local political instability.
He pointed out that despite the government’s announcement of its intention to stimulate investment and create jobs through reforms in currency exchange, digitalization, and renewable energy, implementation still faces internal obstacles that have yet to be overcome.
