Tunis/Tunisia — The implementation of a national strategy to support entrepreneurs is now a priority, Minister of Employment and Vocational Training Lotfi Dhieb stressed on Thursday.
Speaking at the opening of an interregional conference organised by the National Agency for Employment and Self-Employment (ANETI) on "Public Employment Services and Entrepreneurship: a challenge for inclusive and sustainable economic development", the minister stressed that a number of areas have been identified to support the social and solidarity economy over the period 2024-2026, including digitisation, supporting and amending the legal framework, and strengthening communication with entrepreneurs.
The minister also pointed out that the conference aims to map out an equitable and inclusive economic model that develops the entrepreneurial skills of young people. A budget of 40 million dinars has been earmarked to finance projects in the social and solidarity economy, he pointed out.
Dhieb acknowledged that the promotion of private entrepreneurship requires the simplification of administrative procedures and the guarantee of support for entrepreneurs to ensure the success of their projects, which in turn will contribute to economic growth and the reduction of unemployment (16% according to the latest report of the National Institute of Statistics).
Ferihane Korbi Boussoffara, Executive Director of ANETI, said one of the aims of this interregional conference was to share experiences between 16 countries facing the same employment problems as Tunisia.
She emphasised the importance of good monitoring to ensure the sustainability of the project.
Many young people encounter numerous obstacles after the creation of their projects, linked in particular to the challenges of the market, marketing and the weakness of the management of financial resources, she added, stressing the role of the Agency in presenting the necessary consultations in this sense.
For his part, Mohsen Ben Touati, Head of the General Directorate for Entrepreneurship at the Ministry of Employment, stressed that the field of entrepreneurship faces challenges related to access to finance, supervision and support, noting that Tunisia has programmes aimed at reducing the difficulties faced by young entrepreneurs.
