Tunisia to borrow $85m for Digital Tunisia 2020 project

The Tunisian parliament has approved an agreement with the African Development Bank (ADB) worth €71.56 million ($85.1 million) on a loan to fund the Digital Tunisia 2020 project.

The vote on the loan agreement was made during a plenary session of the parliament followed by Anadolu. The loan agreement received the approval of 97 deputies, the retention of 26, and the objection of 28 of the 151 deputies who attended the session out of 217, which is the total number of deputies in the parliament.

On 21 December the Tunisian government signed a loan agreement with the ADB to contribute to the Digital Tunisia 2020 project.

The aim of the project is to move towards electronic management, which offers quality digital services and contributes to the creation of job opportunities in the digital field and the transfer of services.

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Tunisian Minister of Communication and Digital Economy Anwar Maaroufi said in a press statement on the sidelines of the parliamentary session that “the project has important benefits for the country”.

Maaroufi added: “Digital Tunisia 2020 will enable the country to become the first at the African level to invest in the digital economy.”

He went on: “The cost of the Digital Tunisia 2020 project, which will be accomplished in the next four years (2018-2022), is estimated at 400 million dinars ($153 million dollars).”

The ADB will finance the project with a loan of €71.56 million Euros ($85.1 million), while the Tunisian Ministry of Communication Technologies and Digital Economy will bear the rest of the project expenses.

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