Year: 2018

Aid decided for poor as president meets with signatories of Carthage Document

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(TAP) – President Beji Caid Essebsi and the signatories of the Carthage Document met on Saturday to consider an increase of aid for poor families in emergency talks in a bid to defuse tensions following anti-austerity protests. “We discussed the general situation in the country and the reforms, especially socio-economic, that must be adopted to overcome the current problems,” Wided Bouchamaoui, President of  UTICA employers association, told reporters after the meeting. Noureddine Taboubi, UGTT Secretary-General said no specific measures were taken but urgent decisions “must be adopted” to aid needy families…

Tunisia: security forces must not ‘inflame’ tense situation as country prepares for more anti-austerity rallies

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Tunisian security forces must refrain from using excessive force and end their use of intimidation tactics against peaceful demonstrators, Amnesty International said on Friday. During the past four days of anti-government demonstrations, security forces have used increasingly heavy-handed methods to disperse rallies and subsequently arrest protesters. One protester has died during the unrest, according to Amnesty International press release. “The Tunisian authorities must prioritise the safety of peaceful protesters and ensure that security forces only use force where absolutely necessary and proportionate, and to protect the rights of others,” said Heba…

El Guettar Gafsa: Tfanen-Tunisie Créative-funded public playground inaugurated

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A public playground, located in El Guettar Gafsa, was inaugurated on January 6, 2018, TAP reports The project is steered by the Tunisian Association for Environmental Art as part of the project “Tunisian Playground Sculptures “funded by Tfanen-Tunisie CrĂ©ative. The particularity of this project is that it is a typical example of co-operation between local and foreign artists, active members of local civil society and also public services represented especially by the Municipality of El Guettar, Gafsa. The originality of this playground, dedicated specifically to children, rests in the fact…

About 20 Tunisian businesses set up after TABC Africa prospection missions

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Some 20 Tunisian businesses were set up after a string of prospecting missions conducted by the Tunisia-Africa Business Council (TABC), said President Bassem Loukil. The newly established companies are operating in the sectors of health (private clinics), building, agriculture and new technologies, TAP reports. Several partnership agreements and commercial contracts were signed in 2017 by Tunisian and African operators, Loukil Thursday said on the fringes of a lunch meeting under the theme “Retrospective Look at 2017, Action Plan for 2018.” “We had very positive feedback from the Tunisian Foreign Trade…

Strong growth in civil service hiring was associated with 10% decline in productivity (IMF Report)

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“The increase in civil service hiring and the excessively high salaries have been followed by a 10% decline in the sector’s productivity between 2010 and 2015,” said a report recently prepared by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the Public Wage Bills in the Middle East and Central Asia. “This has had negative spillovers to the private sector, especially as graduates tend to continue to prefer a career in the civil service over a job in the private sector,” the report pointed out. On Tunisia, the report estimates that “the…

Mixed Chambers of commerce call for fiscal stability

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The members of the Mixed Chambers Council attended, on Tuesday, January 9, 2018, a breakfast debate on the main provisions of the new Finance Act 2018 with attendance of Minister of Finance Ridha Chalghoum and his team within the Ministry. Taking the floor, the Finance Minister emphasised the importance of the stability of the fiscal framework and legal regulation. He highlighted the support mechanisms provided by the 2018 Finance Law to promote Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), the key business companies in the Tunisian economy, as well as the measures…

Why Tunisia Is the One Lasting Success of the Arab Spring

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The Iranian political demonstrations now under way have roots in the Arab Spring upheavals that began in December 2010 in North Africa. The starting point was Tunisia, the rare success story of the Arab Spring—despite two major terrorist attacks in 2015 and this week’s protests against austerity, the country has in recent years enjoyed the rule of law and the peaceful resolution of political disputes. By contrast, other Arab Spring upheavals fizzled out (as in Bahrain), produced humanitarian disasters (as in Syria), or ended up in a return to undemocratic…

Tunisian module manufacturer Ifri-Sol commissions new solar factory

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The new 150 MW solar module manufacturing facility will be located in Kairouan and will enable the company to reach a total production capacity of 200 MW Tunisian solar module manufacturer, Ifri-Sol has commissioned its second manufacturing facility, in Kairouan, in northern Tunisia’s inland desert. In a statement to pv magazine, the company said the new factory, which has a capacity of 150 MW, will produce both mono- and multi-crystalline modules. The facility will rely on an undisclosed German technology for the production equipment and will assemble modules with solar cells…

Tunisia protests: Is there a trade-off between a strong economy and democracy?

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Demonstrations have swept Tunisia due to government austerity measures, and the country’s democracy has advanced since its 2011 revolution that ushered in the Arab Spring. But does this transition come at a cost? Protests took place in ten towns across Tunisia Monday after the government enacted a series of price and tax increases to solve the country’s budget deficit. Rural economically disadvantaged cities in Tunisia’s interior such as Kasserine and Sidi Bouzid were hotspots during the revolution that took down Tunisian Dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali almost exactly seven years…

Boost for Tunisia after Tui’s ‘surprise’ return

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Tui’s “surprise” decision to reinstate holidays to Tunisia is expected to help “restore faith” in the destination among UK agents and consumers. “More than the volume, it’s about growing credibility and rebuilding faith in Tunisia for 2018” The UK’s largest tour operator will resume flights to the North African destination on May 1, nearly three years after 33 of its customers were killed in the Sousse beach massacre. Tui joins Thomas Cook – which will resume Tunisia flights next month – in returning to the destination, alongside specialist operators such…