Economy 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 […] January 26, 2024
Economy Tunisia pays off all 2023 debt Tunisia has repaid all of its 2023 domestic and external debts despite constraints on public finance and difficulties in accessing foreign funding, according to finance minister Sihem Nemsia. It had been feared that the North African country was headed towards a default on its debt repayments. Speaking at the opening of a debate on the […] January 23, 2024
Infrastructure Gulf telcos sign deal to create $2bn tower company Telecom operators Ooredoo and Zain Group on Tuesday said agreements have been signed to create the largest tower company in the Middle East and North Africa. The cash and share deal, which also involves Dubai-based Tasc Towers Holding, will establish a company comprising 30,000 telecom towers in Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, Algeria and Tunisia, with […] December 5, 2023
Analysis Industry Future is rosy for Mena phosphate producers With Morocco and Saudi Arabia now holding the bulk of the world’s high-quality, accessible phosphate rock reserves, the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region is a major centre for the phosphate mining industry’s future growth, analysts say. Morocco alone holds around 70 percent of the world’s total reserves of phosphate rock, the raw material […] November 17, 2023
Sustainability Droughts could cost Tunisia $1bn annually Water shortages in Tunisia could cost the North African country up to $1.3 billion annually by 2030, according to a report from the World Bank. For the sixth year in a row, below-average rainfall impacted the country’s agricultural production. The sector’s value fell 9 percent in real terms in the first half of this year […] November 7, 2023
Finance Tunisia to maintain fuel and food subsidies in 2024 Tunisia expects its economy to grow by 2.1 percent in 2024, up from 0.9 percent in 2023, and plans almost the same subsidies for fuel, electricity and food while raising taxes for banks, hotels and liquor firms, a bill on its budget showed on Tuesday. The bill included no reference to an agreement with the […] October 18, 2023
Opinion Sustainability Lessons for Cop28 from Tunisia’s water crisis The Arab region is home to the majority of economies that will face absolute water scarcity by 2040 October 17, 2023
Economy Tunisia yet to propose new terms for $1.9bn IMF loan Tunisia has not yet proposed new terms for a long-pending $1.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan, according to the fund’s Middle East and Central Asia director Jihad Azour. Speaking at IMF-World Bank annual meetings in Morocco this week, Azour called for the elimination of “wasteful and socially unfair subsidies” before the fund’s board could […] October 13, 2023
Economy World Bank drops growth forecast for Tunisia further Tunisia’s economic growth forecast has been downgraded further by the World Bank amid concerns over the drought-hit agricultural sector, as well as uncertainties over debt financing and the weak momentum of structural reforms. In its report, Balancing act: Jobs and wages in the Middle East and North Africa when crises hit, the World Bank noted […] October 6, 2023
Energy Dubai’s Amea Power brightens Tunisia’s solar ambitions Dubai’s Amea Power has reached financial close on its first 120 megawatt (MW) solar project in Tunisia as the North African country seeks to boost its renewable energy production. The $86 million solar plant will be located in Metbassta, in the north-western Kairouan governate. It is being built by Kairouan Solar Plant, a company registered in […] September 27, 2023
Economy Tunisia repays 74% of debt to ease default fears Tunisia has repaid 74 percent of its cumulative external debt due this year, defying predictions that the country is heading towards a default. As of September 10, the amount of debt repaid was TND6.6 billion ($2 billion), compared with TND8.9 billion forecast for the year in the 2023 budget, as reported by Agence Tunis Afrique […] September 18, 2023
Economy Tunisia teeters on the edge over mounting debt Saddled with mounting levels of debt and dwindling foreign reserves, Tunisia is intensifying concerns over its deteriorating public finances. Bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund have stalled since last October when a preliminary agreement for a 48-month loan worth close to $2 billion was reached. Tunisian president Kais Saied’s government refused to accept the […] September 8, 2023
Opinion Economy Tangled web leaves Tunisia’s IMF deal hanging in balance For President Saied, the lifting of subsidies appears to be a red line August 29, 2023
Manufacturing Tunisia to scale up phosphate production Tunisia’s state-owned phosphate company is getting ready to ramp up production as part of its TD235 million ($76 million) investment programme. Next month the Gafsa Phosphate Company (CPG) will receive the first batch of machinery, including equipment to increase its capacity to transport raw phosphate and extract commercial phosphate. It will also take delivery of […] August 28, 2023
Energy Tunisia’s energy production drops as trade deficit widens Total energy production in Tunisia dropped by 8 percent at the end of June to 8,470 gigawatt hours as the country’s energy trade deficit increased. Production intended for the local market was also down 5 percent, according to a report released by the National Observatory of Energy and Mines. Electricity purchases from Algeria and Libya […] August 15, 2023
Agriculture Tunisia approves $87m loan to safeguard food supplies Tunisia has approved a TND268 million ($87 million) loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to safeguard sustainable food production in the country. The Assembly of People’s Representatives (APR) gave the loan the green light. It will be used to fund the Cereal Sector Inclusive and Sustainable Support Project (Padific), a body aimed at improving […] August 1, 2023
Analysis Food & Drink North Africa to the rescue as Europe’s olive oil dries up A caesar salad may be the ideal light meal on a summer’s day, but you might have noticed it is weighing heavier on your wallet. That is because the price of olive oil is at an all-time high. Prices have jumped by nearly 80 percent in just one year, according to data from YCharts. European […] July 28, 2023
Banking & Finance Saudi Arabia to give Tunisia $500m as soft loan and grant Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide Tunisia with a $500 million package of financial assistance as the country faces a mounting financial crisis. The Gulf state will give the North African country $400 million as a soft loan and $100 million as a grant, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday. The agreement was signed […] July 21, 2023
Analysis Aviation Tunisair’s turbulence a ‘toxic mix of circumstances’ Tunisia’s national carrier Tunisair is facing a “toxic mix of circumstances” as it battles for survival, according to a leading aviation expert. The North African country’s president Kaïs Saïed, minister of transport Rabii Mejidi, and Tunisair’s CEO Khaled Chelli met recently to discuss a rescue plan for the airline, which is seeking a restructure to […] July 6, 2023
Aviation Sponsorship deal grows Emirates’ presence in Africa Emirates airline is to sponsor a Tunisian sports club, as the Dubai carrier looks to increase its revenues in Africa. The airline will sponsor Etoile Sportive du Sahel, which has teams across a number of sports including football, basketball, volleyball and handball. Emirates’ branding will be on the teams’ jerseys and training kits, as well […] June 23, 2023
Economy Tunisia tells IMF conditions risk civil unrest Tunisia’s President Kais Saied told the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) managing director that the fund’s conditions to provide financial support to the North African country risks sparking civil unrest, the Tunisian presidency said. “The president of the Republic made it clear that the International Monetary Fund’s conditions for providing financial support to Tunisia are unacceptable […] June 23, 2023
Economy EU offers Tunisia $1bn loan – if it accepts IMF reforms The European Union has offered Tunisia a €1 billion ($1.07 billion) loan to prop up its economy and tighten border controls. Under the proposal, Tunis must agree to sweeping economic reforms, said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. The International Monetary Fund agreed a $1.9 billion bailout for Tunisia last September, but it has […] June 12, 2023
