The Economic Knowledge Project (EKP), implemented by Experts France with funding from the European Union (EU) in Tunisia, organised the annual ‘Let’s Talk Economics’ event to promote the economic knowledge production structures (SPSE) in Tunisia.
According to a statement from the organisers, this initiative seeks to highlight the work of these structures, foster exchanges between key economic actors, and promote public debate on economic and sustainable development issues in the country.
The event brought together researchers, experts, specialists, decision makers, public and private sector actors, a number of organisations, associations, financial partners and media representatives.
The ‘Let’s Talk Economy’ event was a platform to exchange analyses and opinions on critical economic issues in Tunisia. Two round tables were organised, the first of which dealt with the social and solidarity economy and its impact on the Tunisian economy, its challenges and opportunities.
It was enhanced by the interventions of Mr Benoît Hamon, President of ESS France, Mr Rachid Abidi, Director of Lab’ESS, Mr Lotfi Benaissa, Researcher in Humanities and Social Sciences, and Ms Aida Ben Ammar, Executive Director of APES.
The second round table focused on scientific communication and the challenges of popularising research and disseminating results between researchers and the media, in order to make information accessible to the general public.
These discussions enriched the dialogue with national and international experts and offered constructive perspectives through the speeches of Mr. Etienne Charrière, President of the French Development Agency, Mr. Khaled Aouij, Director General of Tunescope, Mr. Mustapha Mezghani, Senior Researcher at GI4T, and Ms. Soussine Ben Nasr, Researcher and Deputy Director at ITCEQ.
In a speech delivered remotely during the event, Mr Elyes Jouini, a professor at the University of France, stressed the importance of popularising and disseminating economic content in the public sphere. Mr Bruno Caprillac, Director General of FERDI, an active partner of the ‘Let’s Talk Economy’ project, stressed the importance of producing rich economic content.
Launched in February 2023, the Economic Knowledge Project received €4.5 million in funding from the European Union for three years. The project supports public debate in Tunisia by strengthening public structures for economic analysis and decision-making assistance, as well as strengthening economic research laboratories and civil society research centres. The project also aims to push for in-depth reflection on reform paths that are adapted to the current economic challenges.
The project focuses on three main pillars: building the capacities of economic knowledge production structures (SPSE); supporting the production of studies and future policy papers; and supporting the dissemination, popularisation and application of the recommendations resulting from the studies.
Since the launch of the Economic Knowledge Project, several activities have been carried out to support SPSEs and strengthen their capacity to participate in the economic debate and influence public policies actively.
TunisianMonitorOnline (Dhouha Talik – English: NejiMed)
