Invited by the Agency for the Promotion of Industry and Innovation (APII), Mashrou3i participated on December 15, in the Southern Regional Day “Wealth of Southern Tunisia: Opportunities and Challenges” organized for 6 governorates of southern Tunisia: Kebili, Tozeur, Gafsa, Gabes, Medenine, Tataouine.
Nearly 350 participants, representatives of local institutions, start-ups and existing companies attended the event, which was also an opportunity for the Mashrou3i team to present the project organized by UNIDO and funded by USAID, the Italian Cooperation and HP Foundation. This was an occasion to recall the different components of the project: entrepreneurial training and business coaching through the HP LIFE e-Learning platform, deep-dive coaching and technical assistance for start-ups and existing companies to facilitate their access to finance and markets, as well as their sustainability.
Samir Bechouel, Director of the APII, opened the event emphasizing the importance of the Tunisian South because of it geostrategic positioning. However, despite representing a third of Tunisia’s territory capacities the region only accounts for 6% of the industrial sector. Hence the need to promote the investment opportunities of the 6 southern regions of Tunisia, starting with the principle of regional anchoring through the development of clusters with the support of the UNIDO and the World Bank.
Slim Feriani, Minister of Industry and SMEs, underlined the importance of consolidating investment in the southern regions to ensure economic stability, essential for political and social stability. He also raised the strategic positioning of southern Tunisia bordering Libya and Algeria, its unique landscape in the world, making it a tourist destination of excellence. Despite the difficulties related to the Tunisian ecosystem, innovative sectors are present and offer several investment opportunities in organic plants, geothermal agriculture, olive oils, date valorisation, siliceous sand and gypsum.
Faouzi Ghrab, Director of the Southern Development Office (ODS), presented the wealth and the principal approaches for the development of the southern regions, highlighting promising opportunities and sectors such as organic dates, geothermal agriculture, valorisation of organic olives, valorisation of fishery products and exploitation of renewable energies.
The 350 participants at the APII event attended 3 workshops on the sidelines of this event:
- the “Oasis Industry” workshop chaired Foued Ben Hmida, General Manager of Technical Center of Dates.
- the “Renewable Energies” workshop chaired by Hamdi Harrouch, Director of the National Agency for Energy Management.
- the “Useful Capacities” workshop chaired by Nouri Htira, Director General of the National Office of Mines.
125 participants visited the stand of Mashrou3i including 87 aspiring entrepreneurs and 38 active companies who learned more about UNIDO’s support through the Mashrou3i program, thanks to a multidisciplinary team composed of facilitators from Kebili and Tozeur, a regional expert, an expert in access to financing and a communication expert.
