The African Development Bank has presented its 2025 Country Focus Report for Tunisia. Titled "Unlocking Tunisia's Capital for Sustainable Development," it highlights key levers for fostering more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable growth through improved mobilization of the country's human, financial, and natural capital.
The report was launched during a high-level workshop in Tunis on 7 July that brought together government officials, private sector actors, civil society, and development partners. The event provided an opportunity for in-depth dialogue on Tunisia's economic priorities and the reforms needed to accelerate its structural transformation. The report is published as part of the African Development Bank's 2025 African Economic Outlook series.
Malinne Blomberg, Deputy Director General for North Africa and the Bank's Country Manager for Tunisia, commended Tunisia's strengths - a well-educated workforce, a dynamic entrepreneurial fabric, and strategic natural resources, assets that must be leveraged to reignite growth.
"The report we are presenting today seeks to provide a solid analytical framework for better understanding the drivers of transformation and to inform dialogue around the country's key economic choices for the coming years," she said.
The report notes improved economic performance in 2024, with GDP growth reaching 1.4% compared to 0.4% in 2023. This progress was supported by a rebound in agriculture, renewed industrial activity, and resilience in the services sector. The report also highlights notable strides in macroeconomic stabilization, with inflation held at 7% and the fiscal deficit reduced to 6.1% of GDP, primarily due to increased tax revenues.
Key priorities the report identifies include broadening the tax base, strengthening the private sector, enhancing human capital, and optimizing economic governance.
The report further calls for energizing the private sector through the development of innovative financial instruments such as FinTech solutions, green bonds, and crowdfunding platforms, and by reinforcing credit guarantee mechanisms to improve access to finance, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The report underscores the need to better harness existing national resources, improve strategic resource allocation, and ensure more effective coordination of public action to maximize the development impact of capital mobilization for the benefit of the population.
The African Development Bank is a strategic partner of Tunisia. As of 30 June 2025, its active portfolio in the country comprised 34 operations, with total net commitments of approximately €1.70 billion. This portfolio spans eight strategic sectors: transport (34%), water and sanitation (17%), agriculture (15.4%), energy (12.8%), social development (9.9%), finance (6.3%), industry and digitalization (4.4%), and multi-sector operations (0.1%).
The Bank maintains close and continuous dialogue with the Tunisian authorities, the private sector, and other stakeholders to improve the business environment, promote job creation through SME development, and mobilize both domestic and external financial resources.
