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19th February 2025
An ambassadorial roundtable on Investment Opportunities in Tunisia was hosted by the ABCC on 19 February in the Boardroom at the Chamber’s Mayfair premises.
The audience consisted of potential investors and business executives from various sectors of industry and members of the ABCC.
His Excellency Mr Yassine El Oued, Ambassador of The Republic of Tunisia in the UK, and his entourage were greeted and welcomed to the Chamber by Mr Bandar Reda, ABCC Secretary General & CEO and Mr Abdeslam El-Idrissi, ABCC Deputy CEO & Secretary General.
The roundtable was held in close cooperation with the Embassy of Tunisia and assisted by FIPA, the Tunisian foreign investment promotion agency, which had prepared a detailed presentation.
Mr Reda opened the discussion by introducing the Ambassador whom he warmly thanked for his participation in the event which would enable ABCC members to learn about Tunisia and gain valuable insights into the latest investment opportunities in the country.
In his keynote remarks, His Excellency paid tribute to the work of the Chamber and expressed his confidence that the meeting would not only strengthen collaboration between the UK and his country but would also help unlock new opportunities for growth, innovation and prosperity.
The Ambassador went on to stress the importance of British involvement in the Tunisian economy, in particular the energy sector where British Gas was one of the largest foreign investors with substantial investment in Tunisian energy infrastructure.
The energy sector was not the only area where UK companies were actively involved, His Excellency insisted, citing sectors such as automotives, engine components, textiles and information technology where UK firms were making positive contributions.
The Ambassador continued by elucidating the ambitious reform programme that Tunisia had been enacting in recent years, including incentives which were designed to attract more foreign investment and stimulate growth through partnerships between the public and private sectors.
Mention was made of the significant assets that Tunisia possessed, for example, its robust infrastructure and a skilled workforce that was one of the most well educated in the region.
In concluding, His Excellency Mr Yassine El Oued looked forward to the UK and Tunisia working closer together to build a brighter future based on innovation, collaboration and shared prosperity.
He invited British investors and entrepreneurs to visit the country where they could meet with their Tunisian counterparts to explore the opportunities.
Following the Ambassador’s encouraging opening remarks, a more detailed presentation was delivered by Mr Zied Braham, Director of FIPA in London, who provided a detailed description of the country’s investment landscape.
The FIPA director began by outlining the flows of FDI over the past few years and explained that over 4,000 global companies were currently active in the local economy, contributing some 467 thousand jobs.
He said that almost 75% of these foreign companies were involved in wholly exporting.
In summary, Mr Braham highlighted key attractions of Tunisia in sectors such as, aeronautics, digital, automotives, agribusiness, textiles and pharmaceuticals.
As well as boasting a dynamic business-friendly environment, Tunisia offered exceptional living conditions conducive to successful personal and professional development.
Once Mr Braham had completed his wide ranging presentation, Mr Reda opened up the discussion by inviting contributions from those gathered around the table. Great interest was expressed in the various opportunities that had been outlined by the Ambassador and the FIPA Director, who expressed their readiness to assist any company seeking to further explore the potential that Tunisia was able to offer across the many sectors.