Tunisia's Opportunities and Challenges in the New International Economy
Insights from Bruno Fuchs at the 39th Edition of the Journées de l'Entreprise
"Tunisia has many quality advantages, but there are two elements that require vigilance," warned Bruno Fuchs during the 39th edition of the Journées de l'Entreprise, held from December 11 to 13, 2025, in Sousse under the high patronage of President Kais Saïed.
Tunisia's Growth and Investment
"The growth rate of Tunisia is not very high compared to the African average. And its foreign direct investment (FDI) rate is very low (nearly 5% of FDI in Africa). However, there is clearly an ability to capture this growth through new alliances. A political will that promotes entrepreneurship and partnerships is necessary. There is a political vision of support, fiscal and legal stability; and this reassures. Nevertheless, it is essential to update ourselves to capture all the potential for partnership and development."
Africa: The Future of Europe
Speaking during the 'Speakers Tour' panel on the new international economy, Bruno Fuchs did not hide his conviction that Tunisia has all its chances, just like the African continent as a whole. Provided that the right choices are made in the face of the disputed domination between China and the USA.
"The regional alternative is the Africa-Europe bloc because Africa is the future of Europe. Nobody sees that in 25-30 years, Africa will represent a quarter of the world's population, nor do they see the growth, the wealth of the soil. The USA and China also see Africa as the future of the world, but they see it as a place where one serves minerals, not as an equal partner."
The Importance of Geopolitical Role
He recalled the old idea of the 'trilogue' of President Giscard-D'Estaing, where the countries of the Middle East, African countries, and France-Europe would carry out innovative projects in Africa: "We see the emergence of intermediate countries that will play very important roles. Part of the negotiations on Sudan took place in Washington, and the other part in Doha, Qatar. In the negotiations on Gaza, there were Franco-Saudi initiatives. In Lebanon, Saudi Arabia was at the forefront. Tunisia also has a geopolitical role to play."
Security, Value Chains, Energy, and AI
In this context, two major questions will be the markers of new alliances: "First, ideological alliances, as President Trump favors a large number of sovereignist-nationalist countries. Then, value chains, especially in energy. The great recomposition of alliances will certainly be built around value chains and energy. One of the major factors will be the ability to have sovereignty in terms of AI. And the real North-South fracture will occur around AI, both in data control and algorithms."
The Cost of Risks and the Future of Africa
According to Fuchs, the cost of risks will increase: "We are returning to the pre-war world. And recreating conflicts between countries with a sovereignist logic has an enormous cost in non-investment, a decrease in the percentage of revenues with an impact on the cost of insurance. But one of the strengths of emerging economies is that they can immediately reach the highest level of technological mastery. The strength of Africa is that it has resources (notably demographic) and therefore has the choice of partners it wants to have. Today, everyone is soliciting Africa."
Economic Diplomacy and Citizen Diplomacy
According to him, economic diplomacy is the key to the development of countries, especially in Africa: "The continent is experiencing extremely strong demographic growth, while China will lose 300 to 500 million inhabitants in the next 30-40 years. In Africa, half of the population is under 20 years old."
He poses the problem from the new angle of citizen diplomacy: "The question is how to integrate all these young Africans economically and in terms of their civic engagement. Here, I believe a lot in citizen diplomacy. This is why a large part of the actions I lead in France (as a bridge to Africa) insist on taking into account the deep convictions of citizens on subjects such as energy, professional integration, violence in society... If we want the benefits to benefit their countries, we must be able to integrate them. Unfortunately, few identified systems take this citizen energy sufficiently into account today, but intermediate bodies (regions, associations...) can help translate these energies into projects and these projects into actions."
