This FDI Qualities Review of Tunisia examines how foreign direct investment (FDI) can help Tunisia meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the areas of productivity and innovation, trade, employment and job quality, and skills development. FDI provides an important source of financing in Tunisia, but the reform momentum needs to be sustained and deepened so that the benefits of investment can be shared more widely across society and further contribute to Tunisia’s ambition of becoming a knowledge-based economy. The review sheds light on the contribution of FDI to sustainable development using a wealth of national and international data sources and identifies policy directions to increase its positive impacts.
The review was prepared by the OECD in cooperation with the Tunisian Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) and with the support of a dedicated taskforce that included the Ministry of Economy and Planning, the National Institute of Statistics, the Tunisian Investment Authority, the Agency for the Promotion of Industry and Innovation, and the Tunisian Institute of Competitiveness and Quantitative Studies. Guidance and support from FIPA, represented by Jalel Tebib and Imène Saadi, were instrumental to successful completion of the review. FIPA’s Thouraya Khayati, Sami Bouselmi and Zied Lahbib provided additional guidance. Fathi Elhajamara, National Institute of Statistics, provided valuable statistics based on the Répertoire National des Entreprises.
This review is part of the OECD FDI Qualities Initiative and an output of the EU-OECD Programme on Investment in the Mediterranean. The FDI Qualities Initiative provides governments with the data, tools, and standards to assess the contribution of FDI to sustainable development and identify policies to increase its positive impacts. The EU-OECD Programme on Investment in the Mediterranean supports investment reform efforts that contribute to job creation and sustainable growth in the Middle East and North Africa region. This review builds on the longstanding cooperation between Tunisia and the OECD under the MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme. Tunisia is an adherent to the OECD Declaration on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises and has completed an OECD Investment Policy Review in 2012. The Review was financially supported by the European Union.
The review was prepared by Paula Adamczyk, Economist, and Fares Al-Hussami, Head of FDI Qualities and Impact, Sustainable Investment Unit, Investment Division, Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, under the supervision of Martin Wermelinger, Head of Sustainable Investment Unit. Ana Novik and Stephen Thomsen, Head and Deputy Head of Investment Division, provided overall guidance. Stratos Kamenis, Economist and Project Manager, provided substantive inputs. Delegates of the OECD Investment Committee, FIPA’s Sami Bouselmi, and ILO’s Christoph Ernst, Martin Ostermeier, Joyanna Pelivani, and Reina Kuwashima provided valuable comments. The analysis also benefited from substantive discussions with Leila Baghdadi, World Bank, and Carl Daspect, Delegation of the EU to Tunisia. The review was approved by written procedure by the OECD Investment Committee on 27 May 2024. Lucinda Pearson, Communication Officer, prepared the report for publication.