The CAP Emploi programme, a results-based financing initiative designed to transform Tunisia's employment landscape, was officially launched on 26 February 2025 in Tunis at a high-level workshop attended by public and private sector stakeholders from the entrepreneurship ecosystem and the employment and vocational training sectors.
Led by the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, in partnership with the African Development Bank, the National Agency for Employment and Self-Employment (ANETI), and the Tunisian Solidarity Bank (BTS BANK), this strategic programme aims to provide an integrated response to the challenge of youth unemployment. It combines training, entrepreneurial support, access to finance, and measures to support formalisation and professional integration.
The African Development Bank is supporting CAP Emploi with 90 million euros in financing, along with a grant of 2.5 million US dollars from the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA). This is the first programme in Tunisia to be financed by the Bank through a results-based instrument, under which disbursements are made only when pre-agreed results are achieved. This innovative mechanism is intended to reinforce a culture of performance and results-oriented management.
"Together, we can build a future where employment is not a constraint, but an opportunity for all," said Hatem Dahman, Director General of ANETI.
"With CAP Emploi, the ambition is to unlock the potential and talent of thousands of entrepreneurs, particularly women. The AFAWA grant will help cover BTS BANK's management fees, thereby easing financial access," said Malinne Blomberg, Country Manager for Tunisia and Deputy Director General of the African Development Bank Group for North Africa.
A programme aligned with Tunisia's national priorities
Tarek Bouhlel, Director General of African Cooperation at the Ministry of Economy and Planning, emphasised that "this programme reflects our vision of a Tunisia where each citizen has the opportunity to contribute actively to national economic development. CAP Emploi is fully aligned with the Ministry's Three-Year Development Plan (2023-2025) and the Sectoral Plan for Employment and Vocational Training. It offers a concrete response to the structural challenges facing Tunisia's labour market."
The CAP Emploi programme is structured around three core pillars:
- Short-term training tailored to the needs of the labour market, enabling direct employment through partnerships with businesses.
- Support for entrepreneurship, providing an integrated package of technical assistance and financing, including zero-interest loans in collaboration with BTS BANK. This component also aims to promote economic inclusion through the introduction of incentives for formalisation under the auto-entrepreneur status.
- Institutional support to advance strategic reforms in employment, entrepreneurship, and the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The programme is expected to create approximately 76,600 direct jobs and nearly 42,300 indirect jobs, thus contributing to improved living conditions for a significant portion of the Tunisian population.
The launch workshop, which brought together around 60 participants, marked the beginning of the implementation phase. It also served to introduce the results-based financing instrument being deployed by the African Development Bank for the first time in Tunisia, and to strengthen the capacity of the implementing agencies to ensure rapid and coordinated delivery of the programme.
