Opening up to African markets and strengthening the capacities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as startups to access them were the central themes of a forum held in Hammamet.
Organized by the incubator Excelity Lab, under the framework of the “Tunisia Boost Up” project, part of the “Qawafel” program and funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), this event is part of ongoing efforts to support companies wishing to expand into foreign markets, particularly African ones.
It aims to familiarize them with the available support and facilitation mechanisms to help achieve their ambitions.
The forum also prepares for a second exploratory mission to Senegal before the end of the year, following a first stop in Mauritania, which led to partnerships in construction, civil engineering, training, and technology.
According to Excelity Lab Executive Director Zakaria Ben Dhia, markets such as DRC and Kenya are also among Tunisia’s priority destinations.
The program included success stories, meetings with public and private experts, and workshops on digital prospecting, regulatory compliance, and export procedures.
The “Tunisia Boost Up” initiative will also be rolled out in Sfax and Tunis before year-end, to raise awareness among more entrepreneurs about opportunities in Africa.
In line with Tunisia’s economic diplomacy
The “Qawafel” project (2024–2025), with €3.8 million in funding from AFD, targets 140 Tunisian SMEs in high-potential sectors, with the goal of supporting their access to African markets and strengthening Tunisia’s economic diplomacy.
These sectors include construction and subcontracting, healthcare, higher education, training, pharmaceuticals, agribusiness, and technology.
The forum’s program featured a range of workshops, the most important of which focused on the use of digital technologies to explore foreign markets (job opportunities and tenders), and on legal compliance, authentication, certification, and product qualification.
Workshops on export channels and market entry as well as the Tunisia Boost Up Forum will also be held soon in Sfax, Tunis, and other regions across the country before the end of the year.
The initiative also aims to raise institutional awareness of the importance of opening up to the African market, given the opportunities it offers for developing Tunisian skills and expertise, and the significant foreign currency revenues it can generate.
The Qawafel project supports SMEs through several private intermediary institutions, which assist young entrepreneurs, particularly girls and women, in accessing foreign markets, especially African ones.
