Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed hosted a high-level meeting with Dr. George Elombi, President of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), solidifying a key strategic partnership aimed at accelerating major national infrastructure projects.
The working visit, which took place at the Carthage Palace, underscored the pan-African bank’s growing role as a critical financial partner for Tunisia. Afreximbank has been actively financing Tunisian businesses and infrastructure for several years.
“We have just had a fairly lengthy meeting with the Head of State on several economic issues,” stated Dr. Elombi following the audience. “Some of the projects we discussed concerned the expansion of Tunis-Carthage Airport. Others concerned certain deep-water ports and the assistance that Afreximbank could provide to Tunisia in terms of financial support.”
The discussions focused on several pivotal initiatives where Afreximbank’s support is considered vital:
- Strategic Energy Integration: A flagship project is the completion of a 400-kilovolt electricity interconnection linking Libya, Algeria, and Tunisia. With 70 kilometres remaining to be built on Tunisian soil, Afreximbank plans to finance this final section. Dr. Elombi emphasized the project’s importance, calling it “an integration project that is very important to us.” He added, “Afreximbank would like to provide financial support for this, as we have the internal capacity, even in Tunisia, to carry out this project.”
- Industrial Sector Support: The bank presented its commitment to financing projects for key state-owned enterprises, notably the Tunisian Chemical Group (GCT) and the Gafsa Phosphate Company (CPG).
- Broader Economic Backing: The meeting also reaffirmed Afreximbank’s ongoing activities in Tunisia, which include financing local businesses, supporting SMEs, and backing ventures in the energy, logistics, and infrastructure sectors.
Dr. Elombi concluded by noting the bank’s direct appeal to President Saïed, stating, “We have therefore come to ask the Head of State to do everything in his power, together with the relevant ministry, to enable us to finance [the interconnection project].”
The audience marks a significant step in strengthening Tunisia’s access to continental financing, with Afreximbank positioned as a central actor in the nation’s future economic and infrastructure development.
About Afreximbank: The African Export-Import Bank is a pan-African multilateral financial institution dedicated to financing and promoting intra- and extra-African trade.
TunisianMonitorOnline (BRC)
