The African Development Bank in partnership with Tunisia's Ministry of Economy and Planning, organized a national procurement workshop to improve implementation of Bank-financed projects and to enhance their impact.

This training session held in Tunis from 30-31 March forms part of the Bank's 2025-2026 Portfolio Performance Improvement Plan and responds to a shared assessment of the main constraints slowing project implementation. These include insufficient mastery of the Bank's procurement procedures, weaknesses in planning and contract management, and the resulting delays in disbursements and implementation.

The workshop brought together representatives of project implementation units, executing agencies, sector ministries, and national stakeholders involved in public procurement, including the High Authority for Public Procurement (HAICOP). It aimed to strengthen understanding of the Bank's procurement guidelines and procedures, disseminate good practices, and provide practical solutions to challenges encountered in the field.

Tarek Bouhlel, Director General for African Cooperation at the Ministry of Economy and Planning, welcomed the organization of this second capacity-building workshop for project implementation units since the beginning of the year.

He said: "Project implementation units are true foot soldiers of the Tunisian administration, serving national development. With the support of the African Development Bank, we will continue this capacity-building process, notably through the operationalization of the INJEZ and SIMEP applications and the organization of targeted sessions, in order to achieve the objectives of the Portfolio Performance Improvement Plan."

The training covered the full procurement cycle: planning, procurement of works and goods, selection of consultants, contract management, processing of amendments, price revision, and risk management. Practical case studies also helped improve the operational quality of the files submitted to the Bank. The workshop further provided a platform for dialogue on developments in Tunisia's regulatory framework and reforms to the national public procurement system.

"The purpose of this workshop is to improve the efficiency of project and programme implementation, particularly through a better understanding of rules and procedures, both on the Bank's side and on the country's side," said Ahmad Yasser, Operations Manager at the African Development Bank for North Africa. He stressed that the initiative should help reduce the time required to process procurement files, improve their quality, limit complaints, and strengthen dialogue between the Bank and national oversight institutions.

Through this initiative, the African Development Bank aims to support faster, more rigorous, and more transparent implementation of the projects it finances in Tunisia, in key sectors such as infrastructure, water, energy, agriculture and social development. Better command of procurement processes will help improve disbursement rates, safeguard the use of resources, and increase the effectiveness of public investment.