Sfax Metro Project: AfDB Closes Consultant Call as PPP Financing Hinges on Private Partner Buy-In
Published on July 22 by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the call for expressions of interest (EOI) to recruit the consulting firm for the Sfax Metro project officially closed this Monday, August 17, at 16:00 GMT. According to the terms of reference released by the bank, the selected firm will work for 10 to 12 months—between mid-October 2026 and mid-August 2027—to update all technical, economic, and financial parameters for the first phase of Line T1.
The preparatory study is fully funded by a grant from the Urban and Municipal Development Fund, an instrument managed by the AfDB. Eleven years have passed since the establishment of the Sfax Light Metro Company (SMLS) in July 2015, yet the project remains stalled, far from its operational phase.
The Core Challenge: Convincing a Private Partner
The upcoming consultant’s mandate goes far beyond refreshing outdated figures. The firm will be tasked with revisiting ridership projections, assessing the line’s economic viability, and ensuring the financing model remains sustainable for public finances. It will also need to recalculate construction and operational cost estimates.
Subsequently, a financial model will be developed to compare various contractual frameworks. The consulting firm will also lead outreach efforts to identify private sector players willing to commit to the project. This will be followed by supporting the SMLS and Tunisian authorities in finalizing the partnership structure, drafting bidding documents, consultation files, contract templates, and establishing rules for candidate dialogue.
Notably, this public-private partnership (PPP) framework already received institutional approval twice: first from the General Public-Private Partnership Authority in late 2021, and later from the Ministry of Finance in mid-2022. However, the central issue—how costs and risks will be distributed between the state and the private operator—remains unresolved.
A 70-Kilometer Network to Ease Congestion in Greater Sfax
The future metro system is part of a broader collective transport strategy for the metropolitan area. In the long term, the network will comprise two tramway lines complemented by three high-capacity bus rapid transit (BRT) lines, covering nearly 70 kilometers. The priority section, however, spans just 13.5 kilometers, connecting the city center to Chihiya.
The demographic stakes are significant. According to the National Institute of Statistics, the governorate’s population reached 1,047,468 by the end of 2024. The project’s target zone covers seven communes, home to over 500,000 residents, per AfDB data. Within this area, public transport accounts for only about one-fifth of motorized trips, with the vast majority relying on private cars or taxis.
Implications for Sfax’s Economic Ecosystem
This latest round of studies underscores a recurring bottleneck in major Tunisian infrastructure projects: political validation of a PPP structure is insufficient to unlock funding until the economic model and risk-sharing mechanisms are clearly defined for private investors.
The prospecting phase entrusted to the new consultant will be decisive, as it will directly influence the appetite of international lenders and operators for the project. For Sfax’s economic ecosystem, a venture of this scale—spanning mobility, construction, engineering, and ancillary services—holds substantial potential. However, the AfDB’s published timeline indicates that conditions for breaking ground will not be met before summer 2027 at the earliest.
