The Tunisian government is pressing ahead with reforms to overhaul the business climate and dismantle hurdles for investors, declaring the private sector the essential engine for prosperity. The commitment was made by Minister of Economy and Planning Samir Abdelhafidh, speaking at the opening of the 39th Business Days forum in Sousse on Friday.
“Enterprises are the driver of growth and national wealth,” Abdelhafidh stated, addressing an audience of business leaders, young entrepreneurs, and investors at the event organized by the Institute of Arab Business Leaders. This year’s forum is themed “Enterprises and the New Economic Order.”
The minister framed the relationship between the state and the private sector as fundamentally “complementary,” a partnership aimed at “turning challenges into opportunities.”
He positioned investment in businesses as an “investment in trust and the future” and a critical pathway to engage Tunisian youth in national development. To achieve this, he called for stronger links between companies and research centers and urged increased private investment in the green economy and energy efficiency, leveraging the country’s “highly qualified labour.”
Abdelhafidh bolstered his case with recent economic data, suggesting Tunisia is building momentum despite global headwinds. He reported a 2.4% economic growth rate for the first three quarters of 2025, accompanied by a significant 28% rise in foreign investment while the trade deficit remained “under control.”
Further indicators provided a cautiously positive picture: foreign currency reserves now cover 105 days of imports as of December 11, and inflation has shown a “downward trend” over the past two months, reaching 4.9%.
The minister presented these figures as an “impetus for stepped-up action” to improve the business environment, signaling that the reform agenda is a key priority for the government’s economic strategy.
TunisianMonitorOnline (BRC)
