Tunisia’s foreign direct investment grew 27 percent

Tunisia’s foreign direct investment (FDI) jumped by 27 percent in the first quarter, due to the government efforts to ease obstacles to investors, including cutting down licenses and limiting bureaucratic procedures, official data showed on Thursday. The Foreign Investment Promotion Agency noted the flow of foreign direct investment in Tunisia was 560 million dinars (USD 230.54 million) in the first quarter. The rise in investments was  the result of  a strong increase in industrial investment, which rose 45 percent to 185 million dinars. As regards, the sectoral distribution of foreign investments,…

Tunisia in transition with hope and challenges, UN expert says

Tunisia has continued to make progress on democracy since the revolution more than seven years ago, including a Constitution guaranteeing fundamental rights for all Tunisians, but there is still a lot to do, says a UN human rights expert. “Tunisia still faces numerous challenges, including setting up key institutions required by the Constitution, such as the Constitutional Court, and aligning a number of overly-restrictive laws with the democratic and human rights standards proclaimed by the new Constitution,” says the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed.…

Free museums and archaeological sites in Tunisia On Unesco international day

Tunisia is celebrating the International Day for Monuments and Sites, set up by Unesco in 1983, with free entrance to museums and archaeological sites across the country. According to data provided by the National institute of Tunisian heritage (Inp), Tunisia currently has 1,200 archaeological sites and 40 museums. On May 18 the country is also celebrating its annual heritage month during which a number of cultural events will be organized to promote Tunisia’s material and immaterial heritage. The 27th edition of heritage month this year is celebrated under the theme…

Startup and innovation hub leaders are going to shape digital policy for the African Union

Leaders in several African tech ecosystems are living by the words of Charles-Guillaume Étienne, the 19th century French playwright: “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” Since tech and innovation hubs began popping up across the continent over the last decade, an obvious gap has been the absence of enabling digital and business policy. While a few countries, like Tunisia which has just passed a Startup Act”, are making strides, most African governments still appear uncertain about how to boost local tech ecosystems. In their stead, local players in…