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Tunisia

Tunisia tourism numbers

Record tourism numbers expected in Tunisia

Tunisia expects to break its all-time record for tourism numbers in 2024, with more than 10 million visitors. The number of incoming tourists so far this year is approximately 9.9 million, with the National Tourism Office expecting that the figure will pass 10 million by December 31.  That would mark a record high in tourism […]

Tunisian prime minister Kamel Madouri speaks in parliament during a session to discuss the 2025 budget

Tunisia seeks $2.2bn from central bank to repay debts

Tunisia’s central bank will provide $2.2 billion to the government to help repay debts next year, according to news reports. The funding follows the parliamentary approval of a budget law amendment that allows the government to borrow directly from the central bank. This marks the second instance within a year of the government tapping the central […]

Traditional Tunisian sweets for sale in the busy market of Tunis Medina, the historical Kasbah is a World Heritage Site and popular tourist destination in Tunisia. Shopping for traditional sweets in the medina in Tunis. Tunisia's government has refused to cut subsidies for fear of unrest

Tunisia’s tough decisions: to reform or face debt default

Tunisian external debt is $43bn Budget deficit 7.6% of GDP Default averted by foreign loans As Tunisia’s president Kais Saied celebrates his re-election, the former lawyer must decide whether to implement unpopular reforms to receive a ... Register now: It’s easy and free This content is available for registered members only. Register for your free […]

Electrical Device, Solar Panels, Outdoors

Tunisia powers up green energy plan with new solar plants

Two new solar photovoltaic (PV) plants are set to be constructed in Tunisia, helping the country reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Proparco, a French development agency, will provide €25 million ($27.31 million) funding for the construction of two 60-megawatt (MW) solar power plants in Tozeur […]

Tunisia aims to produce 8.3 million tonnes of green hydrogen and its derivatives by 2050 under its green hydrogen strategy

Tunisia signs green hydrogen deals to step up production

Tunisia has signed six agreements with international companies to develop green hydrogen production as it seeks to expand its clean fuel production capacity. The North African country aims to produce 8.3 million tonnes of green hydrogen and its derivatives by 2050 under its green hydrogen strategy, which was released in October 2023. Much of the […]

Aircraft, Airliner, Airplane

Tunisair growth slows as costs rise

Tunisair’s revenue increased by only 3 percent year on year to TND695 million ($224 million) in the first half of 2024, as fuel costs rose and its market share shrank. Passenger numbers went up by 2 percent to 1.17 million, compared to 1.15 million a year ago, the state-run Tunis Afrique Presse reported. Average revenue […]

A Tunisian farmer works on his prickly pear plantation. Tunisia has secured loans to help with food security and its national budget

Tunisia approves $54m loan from Italy

Tunisia has officially approved a €50 million ($54 million) loan from Italy to support its state budget for the current financial year. The loan was originally signed in April. It will be repaid over 40 years with a 31-year grace period and a zero percent interest rate. Tunisia’s current account deficit narrowed to 2.3 percent […]

Ooredoo ad in Doha. The company is investing $1bn to increase its data centre capacity

Qatar’s Ooredoo signs AI deal with chipmaker Nvidia

US chipmaker Nvidia has signed a deal with Qatari telecommunications provider Ooredoo Group to bring its artificial intelligence technology to five countries in the Middle East, the companies announced on Sunday.  Ooredoo will be the first company in the region to offer direct access to Nvidia’s AI and computer chips to its customers in Qatar, […]

hu jintao china gcc

Diplomacy and trade to fore as China woos GCC leaders

It’s quite a coup. Hu Jintao (still with us) must be feeling vindicated. The heads of four Arab states are in Beijing to attend the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, which Hu founded in 2004 to bring together China and the Arab League.  Xi Jinping, Hu’s successor as leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), will […]

The fish market in Sousse, Tunisia. The country hopes the first phase of its H2V deal will produce 5,000MW of renewable energy

Tunisia signs $6.5bn green hydrogen investment deal

Tunisia has signed a memorandum of understanding with French company TotalEnergies and Austrian group Verbund to produce green hydrogen (H2V). The first phase of the project, which is expected to cost €6 billion ($6.5 billion), aims to produce 200,000 tonnes of H2V per year, generating 5,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy and 2,000MW of electrolysis […]

Beekeepers in Mannouba, Tunisia. The country has 305,000 hives

Tunisia’s honey production hit by global warming

Almost three-quarters of beekeepers in Tunisia have seen their honey production curtailed by climate change. The North African country has 305,000 hives tended by 13,000 beekeepers, according to Hassene Ben Salem, chief engineer at the Office of Livestock and Pastures. But he said extreme weather conditions have almost halved honey production, from an average of […]

Tunisia olives

Soaring olive oil exports help Tunisia balance books

Tunisia’s soaring olive oil exports have almost doubled to close to $1 billion in just five months, helping it claw back its current account deficit.   However the increased revenues merely “paint over the cracks” and the country is still probably heading towards a sovereign default, according to an economic expert. Tunisia’s current account deficit narrowed […]

Tunisian president Kais Saied rejected the terms of an IMF deal but the country has secured other funding, including from the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation

Tunisia signs $1.2bn deal to improve energy imports

Tunisia has signed a deal with the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, which will disperse $1.2 billion in financing to the North African country over the next three years. The money will be used to fund energy imports, according to a statement from Tunisia’s Department of Economy. Tunisia is facing a financial crisis and has […]

Tunisair passenger numbers were up slightly in the first quarter of 2024

Tunisair reports ‘steady’ revenue rise in first quarter

Tunisian national flag carrier Tunisair has reported a “steady” start to the year with a 5.6 percent increase in revenue for the first quarter. The airline is attempting to restructure in order to resolve legacy financial difficulties and refresh its fleet. Revenues rose to TND 316 million ($100 million) at the end of March, according […]

Migrants attempting to reach Italy from Tunisia. About 270,000 so-called irregular migrants arrived in the EU via sea crossings last year

EU reveals total aid to North Africa to combat migration 

The European Union provided €673 million ($718 million) in funding to four North African countries from 2021-23 to help the quartet reduce what it calls irregular migration to the 27-member bloc, official data shows. Last year about 270,000 “irregular migrants” arrived in the EU via sea crossings, 64 percent more than in 2022. Crossings from […]

The Elmed undersea power line will run from the electrical substation at Partanna in Sicily to a substation at Mlaabi, Tunisia

Tunisia-Italy power project gets $285m investment 

The Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG) has revealed plans to invest about €266 million ($285 million) to complete the Tunisian-Italian Elmed Interconnector Project, a 220km power line connecting the two countries. The investment will fund the Tunisian side of the project, which includes laying a 100km submarine power cable worth €125 million and the […]

A worker threshes harvested wheat at a farm in Tunisia. The government has supplied wheat seeds to more than 16,000 small-holder farmers.

Tunisia secures $520m in loans to attack food crisis

The World Bank has approved loans worth $520 million to address Tunisia’s food security challenge, but experts are calling for the government to devise a new long-term policy. A loan of $300 million will supplement the Emergency Food Security Response Project, which aims to minimise the impact of four consecutive years of drought in Tunisia, […]

People are seen out shopping in the old city of Tunis, Tunisia, 23 August 2023. Tunisia's Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts has officially restarted tourism in the country after the challenges caused by COVID-19 in 2020. Up to 10 August 2023, a total of 5.4 million tourists have picked Tunisia for their vacations (Photo by Yassine Mahjoub/NurPhoto)NO USE FRANCE

EU throws Tunisia a financial lifeline with $163m grant

The European Union has handed Tunisia a €150 million ($163 million) grant to support economic reforms and fiscal stability as the North African country attempts to fend off a financial crisis. Almost $4 billion in external debts are due for repayment this year, up 40 percent on 2023. Although Tunisia managed to pay an €850 […]

A worker at a phosphate production plant in Metlaoui, Tunisia. Phosphate accounts for 15% of Tunisia's exports

Saudi Arabia loans $55m for Tunisian rail renewal

Saudi Arabia has signed a $55 million loan deal with Tunisia to finance the renewal of the North African country’s rail network.  The railway is used to transport phosphate, a sector that makes up around 4 percent of Tunisia’s GDP and 15 percent of the country’s exports. Tunisia plans to produce eight million tonnes by […]

Tunisian President Kais Saied has refused the terms of an IMF loan, raising doubts about the country's debt repayments

Tunisia debt repayment reaching ‘crunch point’

Just days after Tunisia announced it had cleared its debts from 2023, an expert is warning the country remains at real risk of a sovereign default, with extensive repayments due to creditors over the next two years. Finance minister Sihem Nemsia revealed earlier this week that the North African country had settled all domestic and […]