The Council of Europe and Tunisia’s École Nationale d’Administration (ENA) led a specialized workshop on November 4-5, 2025. The event assembled 23 regional governance units (cellules de gouvernance) to equip officials with digital strategies for ensuring transparency and accountability in how public contracts are awarded.
The intensive two-day session blended expert analysis with hands-on group exercises. Participants dissected the entire procurement cycle, pinpointing vulnerabilities to corrupt practices and rehearsing the application of countermeasures. These included forensic audits, integrity pacts, and robust whistleblower protections.
A central focus was the role of technology as a watchdog. “Secure and transparent procurement procedures are not optional; they are essential for protecting public funds,” was a consensus from discussions, according to workshop insights. Officials explored the implementation of e-procurement systems, real-time contract monitoring platforms, and open data standards to leave a verifiable digital trail.
The presence of key national bodies, TUNEPS (Tunisia’s national e-procurement platform) and the Higher Authority of Public Procurement (HAICOP), allowed for direct dialogue on operationalizing these tools. Conversations stressed the need to improve system interoperability, ensure access for smaller businesses and all public administrations, and harness procurement data analytics to spot irregularities and assess trends.
By engaging frontline governance units in practical, technology-driven exercises, the workshop aimed to embed stronger institutional safeguards and promote a culture of integrity across Tunisia’s public sector.
This initiative falls under the joint European Union–Council of Europe project “Improving Economic Governance for Anti‑corruption in Tunisia (AGELA),” which supports broader goals of transparency and good governance in the country.
TunisianMonitorOnline (NejiMed)
