D’By 2035, the implementation of the Zlecaf (African Continental Free Trade Area) could almost double Tunisia’s exports to the rest of Africa. But the country still has to find the ways and means to achieve these objectives. In recent months, the Tunisian authorities, supported by the European Union, have started discussions with stakeholders, including the private sector, to develop a strategy and relaunch growth. The objective is to identify the comparative advantages that would allow the country to better promote the diversification of its economy and the development of local value chains. The ambition is also to improve Tunisia’s global competitiveness, while giving new dynamism to its economic integration in intra-African trade. In fact, in recent years, the country has turned more and more towards sub-Saharan Africa, thanks in particular to intense lobbying by the private sector, all the more so since Tunisian know-how is already recognized in a a number of African countries.
READ ALSOTunisia: when the desire for Africa is growing stronger
A still limited market
However, still today, the European Union is the main destination of Tunisian national exports, with more than 70% compared to around 10.7% destined for the African continent in 2019. Among Tunisia’s exports to Africa, three quarters are destined for countries of the Arab Maghreb Union (Libya, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania), followed by Egypt (3.6%), Côte d’Ivoire (3.48% ) and Senegal (2.88%). “Once the institutional aspects have been completed, Tunisia will have to focus on the development of the logistics infrastructure through the simplification and digitization of export and import procedures in addition to improving the condition of the roads. land, maritime and air connections and the efficiency of the various logistics chains”, said Slim Driss, consultant for the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), during a workshop in Tunis on Friday 10 June.
For his part, the director of cooperation with Africa at the Tunisian Ministry of Commerce, Chaouki Jebali, affirmed that the strategy drawn up by the Ministry of Trade and Export Development, in collaboration with the ECA, would be validated within a 15 days, pending recommendations from public bodies and national and international experts on customs, transport, foreign trade and international transit, as well as recommendations from civil society and the private sector.
READ ALSOMaghreb: heading for sub-Saharan Africa
Opportunities
If Morocco has taken several steps ahead of its Maghreb neighbors by setting out to conquer Africa via the state visits of King Mohammed VI, the creation of air and banking hubs, Tunisia is now taking note of the economic potential south of its borders. According to forecasts resulting from its national strategy around the Zlecaf, Tunisian exports could increase by 70.5% to countries on the African continent while Tunisia has ratified the agreement on the Zlecaf – the largest free zone. trade in the world with over 1.2 billion people and a GDP of over $2.5 trillion – as of July 2020. Economists estimate that the AfCFTA could cause the value of intra-African trade to increase by 15 to 25%. And, for the experts gathered in Tunis, there is strong export potential from Tunisia to African markets, particularly in the agricultural, agri-food and industrial sectors (electrical industry, textiles and clothing). Promising potential markets include Algeria, Morocco and Libya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Senegal and Ivory Coast. As a reminder, Tunisia, already a member of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), has seen its exports benefit from duty-free access to 15 African countries.
Currently, the country is facing several challenges, including weak economic growth at 3.1% in 2021, debt that is around 85.6% of GDP, a trade balance that is still in deficit and an unemployment rate that is close to the 18 mark. .4%.
READ ALSOTunisia: the private sector to conquer Africa