The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the government of Tunisia on Monday 6th May 2013, in Tunis signed two agreements relating to two important operations. The first one concerns the North Gafsa integrated development project (PDAI), in the amount of Euros 22.115 million, and the second one, an agreement letter, related to the support and establishment of the e-government and the open-government for Euros 799.664. The funding amounts to Euros 22.9 million.

The PDAI in the northern regions of Gafsa covers five delegations in the governorate of Gafsa, stretching over 28 rural sectors with a population of 186.000 inhabitants. The project will help to increase producers revenue by way of investments in village drinking water supply, soil irrigation and conservation. The AfDB loan will go to dis-enclave productions zones and make possible direct investments in farming.

The PDAI will substantially help to improve the living conditions of populations in the governorate as underscored by the minister of Development and International Cooperation, Lamine Doghri. He recalled that this project is the 9th AfDB financed integrated agricultural development project. These projects, he said, are an illustration of the Bank's interest in the country's rural development.

The second operation concerning e-government and open-government, seeks more importantly the capacity strengthening of civil servants in electronic governance and the setting up of a communications policy to improve public accessibility.

The Regional Director for North Africa, Jacob Kolster, acknowledged the excellent cooperation between the AfDB and Tunisia and renewed the institution's determination to complement government's efforts seeking to promote investment opportunities and development in Tunisia.

The signing of the loan and grant agreements brings the net cumulative commitments of the Bank in Tunisia to about Euros 6.1million, in financing nearly 130 operations in all sectors.