Tunisia's economic landscape is at a critical juncture, requiring a shift from mere resilience to wealth creation. According to Fathi Zouhaïer Nouri, governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia, the country must accelerate project implementation and investments in key sectors such as phosphates and renewable energies. This call to action was made during a meeting with international donors on September 25. The country's economic growth reached 2.5% in 2025, but structural constraints, including low investment and productivity, continue to weigh on medium-term prospects.
Tunisia has considerable assets, including a strategic geographic location, significant human capital, an industrial base, entrepreneurial fabric, agricultural and mineral resources, and considerable potential in renewable energies. However, these assets must be transformed into productive projects. The country's challenge lies in assembling these ingredients of growth with sufficient speed and efficiency. The World Bank notes that the country's growth is hampered by low investment and productivity.
The issue is no longer just about financing the economy but making investments productive. Foreign investment is crucial, but Tunisia should not seek any investment. Useful foreign investment brings capital, technology, skills, markets, production methods, and export outlets. The question is not simply how much foreign money can be attracted but what value can be created with this money. In 2025, declared investments reached 8.36 billion dinars, up 39.3% year-on-year.
While these figures indicate renewed interest, the essential question remains: how to transform this interest into a sustainable dynamic of production, export, and qualified jobs? Investors prioritize predictability, seeking to know how long it takes to obtain authorization, the rules before committing capital, and the ability to import, produce, and export without projects being held back by interminable procedures. A stable and efficient administrative framework is essential.
The Tunisia Investment Authority has stressed the need to accelerate structural reforms and remove administrative obstacles that delay the effective implementation of the national investor platform. Attractiveness is not decreed but constructed. Tunisia can play on its position as a platform for production, services, and export, given its proximity to Europe, Africa, and the Arab world.
To achieve this, Tunisia must change its perspective, aiming to attract not just an industry but a value chain, not just create jobs but also skills. The goal is to export more value-added products in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, electronics, pharmaceuticals, agri-food, digital, business services, and renewable energies. The country's competitiveness in these areas will determine its ability to retain existing companies and attract new ones.
However, discussing wealth creation in Tunisia is incomplete without addressing the physical constraints it faces, such as water scarcity. The World Bank's September 2026 report highlights that water scarcity is a determining factor for the country's growth prospects, employment, and economic resilience. Addressing these challenges will be crucial for Tunisia's future economic development.
Key points
- Tunisia must shift from a logic of resilience to a dynamic of wealth creation.
- The country's growth is hampered by low investment and productivity.
- Foreign investment must be productive and bring value-added to the economy.
