French businesses ponder boosting Tunisia investments

Some 30 French businessmen met yesterday with members of the Tunisian government to discuss ways to boost French investment in Tunisia, the Tunisian state-run TAP agency reported.

In a statement to TAP, French ambassador Olivier Poivre d’Arvor said French companies have not had such a direct dialogue with the Tunisian government before. The objective of the meeting is to bring French business leaders and members of the Tunisian government in direct contact, he said.

This meeting will be a milestone in the relationship between Tunisian and French investors, Olivier Poivre d’Arvor added.

Minister of Trade and Industry Zied Laadhari said the meeting is an opportunity to listen to foreign investors and identify obstacles and difficulties.

Laadhari said that 14% of the industries established in Tunisia are French, meaning one third of foreign companies in Tunisia. “Fresh foreign investments in Tunisia will give ordinary citizen and unemployed young people hope for a better future,” he said.

Eric Hayat, President of the French-Tunisian Council of Entrepreneurs affirmed that the French Development Agency (AFD) will invest more than €1 billion in Tunisia over four years ($1.07 billion).

The business delegation accompanied French Prime Minister Manuel Valls in his official visit to attend the International Investment Conference.

In a statement to TAP, the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA) Vice President Hichem Elloumi said several businessmen who attended the meeting already have investments in Tunisia.

“We discussed PPP (public-private partnership), banking, investment, renewable energy … laws,” he explained.

One of the objectives of the meeting was to restore confidence in Tunisia’s largest economic partner. According to Elloumi, it is important that French investors come back in force to Tunisia, adding that while they never left Tunisia, they also did not expand their activities.