Tunis — The intended investments in the regional development areas fell by 13.9% during the first seven months of 2012 to reach 954.5 million Tunisian dinars (MTD), against 1108.7 MTD in the same period last year.

The share of those areas out of all governorates of the country went down from 56.1% to 49.6% during the first seven months of the current year, according to the July 2012 newsletter of the Industry and Innovation Promotion Agency (APII).

This decline is essentially mainly due to the drop of the intended investments in the Sfax governorate which posted 31.5 MTD, against 148.5 MTD in the first seven months of 2011.

According to APII, the declared investments in the Jendouba governorate also fell from 119 MTD during the first seven months of 2011 to 83.3 MTD in the same period this year.

Similarly, the declared investments in the governorate of Kasserine decreased from 107.3 MTD in 2011 to 57.7 MTD this year.

The intended investments recorded in the Sidi Bouzid governorate are not any better. Indeed, they dropped to 58.9 MTD, from 107.5 MTD in the same period of last year.

The governorate of Siliana recorded, as well, a fall in the declared investments, APII also reported. They only stood at 24.4 MTD compared with 66.3 MTD in the same period of 2011.

Zaghouan governorate, however, recorded a rise in the intended investments. They rose from 199.1 MTD in the first seven months of 2011 to 248.3 MTD in the same period of the present year.

The intended investments in the governorate of El-Kef also went up from 12.4 MTD to 29.4 MTD in the first seven months of this year.