The fourth edition of the ‘LAB INNOVA FOR TUNISIA 2024’ management training project was inaugurated on Monday in Tunis.
The event, organised by the ITA/ICE – Italian Agency for Foreign Trade, in collaboration with its training office in Rome, was attended by the Italian Ambassador to Tunis, Alessandro Prunas, and Minister of Communication Technologies, Nizar Ben Néji.
At the opening ceremony, Ambassador Prunas underlined the importance of technology and ICTs as areas of development for Italian-Tunisian collaboration, recalling the recent signing of a memorandum to strengthen exchanges and expertise between the two countries in these fields. This strategic partnership between Tunisia and Italy aims to boost Tunisian start-ups and strengthen the country as an innovation hub for Africa.
This initiative is part of the wide-ranging ‘LAB INNOVA FOR AFRICA’ programme, launched in 2019 and successfully deployed in several African countries.
Over the years, this programme has involved 310 African companies focusing on agribusiness or ICT, depending on the country.
Having trained 62 Tunisian start-ups in previous sessions, the project continues to develop through various phases throughout the year, in collaboration with the Ministry of Technology and Communications, Smart Capital, the Tunisian Start-up Association and various local Technology Hubs.
This year’s call for applications covered a variety of sectors, including AgriTech, GreenTech, Medtech, ICT, Big Data, Fintech, Blockchain, Internet of Things, Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence.
Of the forty applications received, 22 have been selected to take part in the classroom phase, the famous Study Tour.
These sessions will be followed by a study trip to Italy in the autumn, where participants will visit technology hubs, start-ups and incubators, before joining the Italian SMAU event for business meetings.
SMAU is a trade fair held for more than 50 years, bringing together the key players in the innovation ecosystem.
Francesca Tango, Director of the ICE Tunis Office, also highlighted the strategic role of training in the start-up sector, underlining efforts to update professional skills and facilitate effective networking. This year’s programme will incorporate various strategic sectors, from cybersecurity to water management, offering an enriching perspective on Tunisia’s dynamic evolution in the technological field.
TunisianMonitorOnline (NejiMed)
