African Development Bank supports Tunisia digital plan with new loans

The African Development Bank has signed two new loans for the government of Tunisia. The financing will support increased technical education and training and the National Strategy Tunisia Digital 2020. The first loan of EUR 72 million will support the development of technical and technological skills at schools, to help develop new digital professions and industries. The same amount will go to the state’s digital plan and developing e-government services for citizens and businesses. Telecompaper

Tunisian Tourism starts to show recovery: Foreign Tourist arrivals up 23

The number of foreign tourists in Tunisia rose by 23%t in 2017 compared with the previous year, official data revealed. Tourism revenues were, on December 20, 2017, at 2,696.5 million dinars registering an evolution of 16.3% compared to the previous season, according to the same source. August was marked by the highest performance of the season, recording revenues of about 674 million dinars against 469 million dinars during the same period of 2016, with a jump of 43.7%. 6.7 million tourists visited Tunisia, during this period, an increase of 23%…

Foreign Ministry expresses will to reactivate Libyan-Tunisian Higher Committee

The Undersecretary of the Libyan Foreign Ministry, Lutfi Al-Moghrabi, has expressed that the ministry is working to reactivate the Libyan-Tunisian Higher Committee and implement its outputs as an important tool in developing and following up aspects of cooperation and integration between the two countries. Al-Moghrabi stated Monday at the beginning of joint discussions between the two countries that such meetings are an opportunity for further consultation and coordination and to enhance the exchange of views and ideas between the two countries on local, regional and international issues. The meeting was…

Turkey’s Erdogan signs defence, investment agreements as he visits Tunisia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday signed agreements in Tunis on defence, investment and the environment. The Turkish president and his Tunisian counterpart expressed their determination to boost economic cooperation. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Wednesday said Turkey is committed to increasing Tunisian imports and trade exchanges that amount to over $1.5 billion, between both countries. “This pledge is strengthened by Turkey’s readiness to help Tunisia overcome the trade deficit,” he said at a joint press conference with President Beji Caid Essebsi held on Wednesday at the Carthage Palace. The…

The Sahara: a solar battery for Europe?

TuNur, a small company based in the UK, has applied to the Tunisian Government to begin construction of a 4.5GW concentrated solar power (CSP) project in the Sahara Desert. If successful, the energy generated will be transported via underground cables to Italy, Malta and France, providing Europe with a new, carbon-free, alternative baseload power source. “The TuNur project is a fully integrated solar export project, so it combines the generation of solar energy in Tunisia with dedicated transmission links to the European network,” explains TuNur chief operating officer Daniel Rich.…

Tunisia’s Olive oil production reaches highest growth (IOC)

The International Olive Council (IOC) estimates that Tunisia registered over the 2017/2018 campaign the highest growth in olive oil production, with 120%. The production estimated this year at 220,000 tonnes, which enables Tunisia to rank fourth at the global level. The olive oil production of Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Argentina, Jordan, Egypt and Libya are also expected to increase by 287,000 tonnes (+ 62%), 140,000 tonnes (+ 27%), 80,000 tonnes (+ 27%), 37,500 tonnes (+ 74%), 25,000 tonnes (+25%), 25,000 tonnes (+25%) and 18,000 tonnes (+ 12%), respectively, the IOC noted.…

UNICEF calls for action to end digital divide

Only 15 per cent people have access to the Internet in the least-developed countries, a UNICEF report has revealed. In developed countries, an estimated 81 per cent people use Internet, the report covering 24 countries, including India, in 2017 said. Digital divide do not merely separate the connected from the unconnected, they go deeper concerning how people, including youth and children, use Information and Communication Technology (ICT), a UNICEF spokesperson said after launching the report  last week. The report quoted data from world’s wealthiest countries to show that ICT experience…

University of Tunis El Manar among Top 800 universities in 2017-2018 World Ranking report

The University of Tunis El Manar (UTM) ranks first among Tunisian universities, 9th at the African level and 703rd at the global level in the 2017-2018 World Ranking report published recently by the University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP). The University of Tunis El Manar went up 327 places at the global level and 7 places at the African level in only one year. In fact, the university did rank higher than the universities of Lubeck University (Germany), of Wroclaw (Poland), of Angers, Paris 13, Creteil, Paris Dauphine and Poitiers…

We can save education system by transforming schools into social enterprises, says Founder of “Wallah We Can” Lotfi Hamadi

“Wallah We Can” is a movement that aims to demonstrate through its actions and results that we can save the education system by transforming schools into social enterprises”,  Founder of “Walla We Can” Lotfi Hammadi wrote on his facebook page. “Our approach is to produce within these photovoltaic and agricultural energy establishments in order to create wealth which improves the budget for improving the living conditions and studies of the students. Our solution also allows through the clubs run by committed students to offer a humanist, environmental, entrepreneurial, technological and…

Story of two inmates: Culture can curb crime and violence effectively

The last episode of the programme “Labes” broadcast on el Hiwar Ettounsi channel spotlighted on two inmates who accepted sharing their own painful stories and confessed their guilt with a deep remorse. We heard two harsh stories of one becoming a killer despite his higher education  level in engineering and the other being a criminal at the age of seventeen. Unfortunately, their fate is horribly deteriorated. Both are dominated in prison by anxiety and remorse at a time they could have shared moments of cheer and success for themselves and…