A workshop on reducing fees for migrant transfers to optimize their use in development is slated for Wednesday, June 19, at the head office of the Tunisian Central Bank in Tunis. Under the aegis of the African Development Bank, the event will examine the findings of an AfDB study published in 2012, "Financial tools and products for the Maghreb and the Franc Zone".

The purpose of the workshop is to find solutions to reduce money transfer costs for better development impact. This goal is based on the widely accepted view that "migrant transfers are an important financing source for developing countries' economies and the receiving populations" and, unlike official development assistance and foreign direct investment, they have remained fairly constant, despite the global financial crisis.

The workshop will examine, among other issues, mobile banking and stock exchange products, with a particular focus on the Tunisian market. AfDB's role will also be discussed as the Bank initiated the study and has undertaken significant research on the subject since 2007.

Chedly Ayari, Governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia; Aly Abou-Sabaa, Vice-President, Sector Operations, African Development Bank; Houcine Jaziri, Secretary of State for Immigration and Tunisians abroad; François Gouyette, French Ambassador toTunisia; Philippe-Cyrille Berton, Director of the French Development Agency (AFD) in Tunis; Habib Ben Saâd, President of the Professional Association of Tunisian Banking and Financial Establishments (APTBEF); and Mohamed Bichiou, Chief Executive Officer of the Tunis Stock Exchange; are among the personalities expected at the workshop's opening ceremony.