Regional imbalance is the major problem of industrial zones in Tunisia, with 157 areas representing 5,000 hectares, of which only 20% (thousand hectares) are located in interior areas and 80% (4,000 hectares) in coastal cities, said Minister of industry Zakaria Hamad.
Speaking Tuesday on the sidelines of the meeting of the national committee on the management of the program of industrial zones’ development that will cover the period 2016/2020, the Minister said positive discrimination between regions will be the main point of the program.
Another point provided for by this program is the development of large industrial zones covering an area of over 50 hectares. Specifically, the Industry Department eyes the development of 35 industrial zones, some of which are in phase change of use of land, in the process of tendering or implementation stage.
These areas will be located in Medenine, Nabeul, Kef, Gabes, Kasserine, Zaghouan, Tozeur, Sousse, Ariana, Mahdia, Siliana, Gafsa, Sidi Bouzid, Manouba, Kairouan, Kebili and Tataouine.
The minister also placed emphasis on the improvement of the pace of development of industrial zones, noting that the average realization was 100 ha before the Revolution, against 200 ha / year currently.
He, in the same context, said that as part of this program, the private sector will participate in the redevelopment of industrial areas, especially in infrastructure development.
