Optimistic yet Realistic Outlook for Investment in Tunisia

In her speech at the dinner-debate of the Maghreb economist, Namia Ayadi, President of the TIA, presented an optimistic yet realistic picture of the current state of investment in Tunisia.

Despite apparent challenges, the figures for the first quarter of 2024 reveal a 15% increase in investment declarations, with 85% of these projects being new creations, representing a paradigm shift compared to previous years, where extension operations predominated, or "a confidence that is being reinstalled" as described by Ayadi.

The industry remains the leading sector, with 47% of investment declarations concentrated within it. Furthermore, foreign investments, accounting for 23% of these declarations, indicate a growing interest in Tunisia as an investment destination.

Although the 2023 FDI figures showed a slight increase in Tunisia, despite a regional decline, the share of FDI in Tunisia's GDP remains low, stagnating around 2%. Therefore, export-oriented industrialization strategies seem less and less viable and effective. In light of this observation, the President of the TIA emphasizes that a change in investment strategies is essential for prosperity.

The new determinants of this growth will be multiple: the climate challenge, the advent of new technologies, changes in the global geopolitical landscape, and the decline of hyper-globalization, exacerbated by various crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

Another key point raised by Ayadi is the importance of the Tunisian diaspora in promoting the country's economic growth while encouraging and attracting foreign direct investments to Tunisia.