Year: 2017

IMF forecasts 2.3% growth for Tunisia in 2017, 3% in 2018

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Tunisia is set to reach 2.3% growth by the end of the year, in line with World Bank forecasts, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said. In its latest “World Economic Outlook” the IMF forecasts 3% growth for Tunisia in 2018 and a slight improvement in its foreign trade balance, with deficit falling from 8.7% in 2017 to 8.4% next year. In 2016 the foreign trade deficit was 9%. According to IMF estimates, this year unemployment is expected to drop to 13% from 14% last year and to 12% in…

Migrants: IOM voices concern over migration from Tunisia

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The mission chief in Tunisia of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Lorena Lando, on Thursday voiced sadness and concern for the deadly collision last Sunday between a Tunisian Navy ship and a vessel packed with migrants. ”IOM is following up on the fate of migrants who have been reported missing”, said Lando. ”We are saddened by this tragedy, which is affecting so many people and their families”. ”IOM is working to support and promote a safe and dignified migration”, she also said. ”We are worried by the rising phenomenon…

Ten Tunisian associations call on Parliament to complete formation of Transitional Justice Commission

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On Thursday, ten Tunisian non-governmental associations called on the Parliament to fill the vacancy in the structure of the Truth and Dignity Commission (constitutional, independent and concerned with transitional justice), in order to “complete the process and the success of transitional justice.” This came in the context of a joint statement distributed to journalists during a conference held by these associations today in the capital Tunis. The participating associations in this joint statement include the Tunisian Network for Transitional Justice, the “Tounissiat” association and the Tunisian Human Rights League. The…

HoR satisfied with results of latest Tunisia talks

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The head of the Dialogue Committee representing the House of Representatives (HoR), Abdel Salam Nassia, stated after a HoR session yesterday, that the HoR examined the results of the Dialogue Committee during the first round of the Tunis dialogue within three days. Nassia added that the HoR had come to an agreement that the duties of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces should be under the responsibility of the Presidential Council. He also stressed that this should be under the condition that any decisions could only be made with…

China: Tunisian soft seeded pomegranate market depressed

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“The blossoming and ripening process of Tunisian soft seeded pomegranates is closely related to the temperature. This year, because of the cold weather, there are fewer products from Huili. At the beginning of the fruit bearing stage, it has been raining continuously. Later, there was not enough sunlight. This has caused the fruit to enter the market around one month later than in previous years,” according to Mr. Peng, producer and salesman of Tunisian soft seeded pomegranates in Fule Village, Tongan Town in Huili County, Sichuan. “Tunisian soft seeded pomegranates…

Tunisian trade deficit widens 23 pct in first nine months

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Tunisia’s trade deficit widened 23 percent year on year in the first nine months to 11.480 billion dinars, the State Statistics Institute said on Thursday. The growing deficit is one of the main problems facing the government of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed. It has contributed to an erosion of Tunisia’s foreign currency reserves, which sank to just 90 days of imports in July, the weakest in three decades. The deficit with China alone reached 3.241 billion dinars. In an attempt to curb the deficit, Tunisia in April imposed restrictions on…

OECD: Laws Discriminating Against Women Cost Mideast, North Africa Billions of Dollars

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Women in the Middle East and North Africa are better educated than ever before, but legal and social barriers are hampering their access to jobs and careers, costing the region billions of dollars a year, experts said Wednesday. Just under a quarter of women in the region are in the workforce — one of the lowest rates in the world, said the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The region also has the lowest proportion of female entrepreneurs, according to an OECD report that examines barriers to their employment…

Africa continues to improve revenue collection rates

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Tax and revenue collection has continued to improve across African countries, according to latest data. The average tax-to-GDP ratio for the 16 countries studied was 19.1% in 2015, an increase of 0.4% since the year before. Statistics released today by the OECD and other bodies looked at domestic revenue mobilisation in: Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo, Tunisia and Uganda. The annual Revenue Statistics in Africa report is jointly undertaken by the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and…

Rights group questions Italy’s work with Libya stopping migrants

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Europe’s top human rights organisation asked Italy for more information on its work intercepting migrants at sea, warning that any moves to return them to Libya would break international treaties. The Council of Europe said on Wednesday it had written to the Italian government a day after an Italian navy ship helped Libya’s coastguard as it headed off 228 migrants. The coastguard later brought the refugees back to Libya. Italy would break the European Convention on Human Rights if it had a direct role in returning migrants to Libya, where…

Automotive Industry: American Delphi Transfers Activities From Tunisia to Morocco

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American automotive manufacturer Delphi Packard is moving its activities, launched in 2015 in Tunisia, to its production unit based in Meknes, Morocco. The move was motivated by repetitive strikes and an unfavorable business climate in Tunisia, versus better political stability and finer infrastructure quality in Morocco. The American manufacturer and supplier of automotive technologies, one of the first OEMs to establish their subsidiaries in Morocco with a plant in Tangier in 1999, has decided to transfer its manufacturing electrical harnesses activities from Tunisia to Morocco. For the time being, Delphi…