عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

AfDB Approves 92.3 Million Euros to Improve Living Conditions in Tunisia

Tunisian President Kais Saied meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Tunisia on April 17, 2024 (EPA)
Tunisian President Kais Saied meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Tunisia on April 17, 2024 (EPA)
TT
TT

AfDB Approves 92.3 Million Euros to Improve Living Conditions in Tunisia

Tunisian President Kais Saied meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Tunisia on April 17, 2024 (EPA)
Tunisian President Kais Saied meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Tunisia on April 17, 2024 (EPA)

The African Development Bank (AfDB) said on Tuesday it approved a financing package of 92.3 million euros to support business competitiveness and empower the Tunisian population through job creation, according to the German news agency, dpa.

The financing consists of a 90-million-euro loan from the Bank Group, and a grant of 2.3 million Euro under the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in African (AFAWA) initiative.

It aims to provide young people and women looking for work with the skills they need to access salaried jobs, to improve living conditions and promote economic inclusion through entrepreneurship and skills development.

The Tunisian government forecasts that the program could enable the creation of more than 118,000 formal jobs.

Tunisia struggles with economic difficulties that have led to a decline in public sector employment, due to a fiscal crisis, in addition to widespread unemployment among young people and university graduates.

The unemployment rate in Tunisia stands at 16.1% according to the latest data. The unemployment rate for youth in the 15-24 age bracket rose to 39.2% while the unemployment rate among people with a higher education degree reached 23.4%.

Last June, the European Union, the EIB, AFD Group and KfW announced a major joint investment of 270.9 million euros to support Tunisia's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Also, two credit lines worth 170 million euros and 80 million euros, and 10.5 million euros for the Dhamen Express guarantee facility, were deployed to increase access to finance for MSMEs in Tunisia.

At least 30% of the funds from the EIB and 35% of those from AFD went to projects promoting social inclusion, targeting women, youth employment and less-favored areas, as well as the green economy and climate resilience.

This initiative underscored the commitment of the EU, the European Investment Bank (EIB), Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) to support projects that have a high social impact and promote the economic recovery of Tunisia’s micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), taking a Team Europe approach.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Syrian Govt Visits Notorious Al-Hol Camp for First Time Since Kurds Deal

A view of the Al-Hol camp. (AFP file)
A view of the Al-Hol camp. (AFP file)
TT
TT

Syrian Govt Visits Notorious Al-Hol Camp for First Time Since Kurds Deal

A view of the Al-Hol camp. (AFP file)
A view of the Al-Hol camp. (AFP file)

A Syrian government delegation visited a notorious camp in the Kurdish-administered northeast that hosts families of suspected ISIS group members, the new authorities' first visit, both sides said Saturday.

Kurdish-run camps and prisons in the northeast hold tens of thousands of people, many with alleged or perceived links to ISIS, more than five years after the group’s territorial defeat in Syria.

Kurdish administration official Sheikhmous Ahmed said "a tripartite meeting was held on Saturday in the Al-Hol camp" that included a government delegation, another from the US-led international coalition fighting ISIS, and Kurdish administration members.

Al-Hol is northeast Syria's largest camp, housing some 37,000 people from dozens of countries, including 14,500 Iraqis, in dire conditions.

Discussions involved "establishing a mechanism for removing Syrian families from Al-Hol camp", Ahmed said.

The visit comes more than two months after interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, agreed to integrate the Kurds' civil and military institutions into the national government.

The deal also involved guaranteeing the return of all Syrians to their hometowns and villages.

No progress has yet been reported on the administration's integration into the new government.

In Damascus, interior ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba told reporters Al-Hol is "part of the agreement" signed by Sharaa and Abdi.

He said the issue requires "a comprehensive societal solution for the families who are victims" of ISIS.

In February, the Kurdish administration said that in coordination with the United Nations, it aimed to empty camps in the northeast of thousands of displaced Syrians and Iraqi refugees, including suspected relatives of extremists, by the end of the year.

Al-Hol includes a high-security section for families of foreign ISIS fighters.

Ahmed said the fate of those families "is linked to the countries that have nationals (in the camp), and to the international coalition", which supported Kurdish-led forces who fought ISIS, detaining its fighters and their relatives.

The Kurds have repeatedly called on countries to repatriate their citizens, but foreign governments have allowed home only a trickle, fearing security threats and a domestic political backlash.

It is unclear who will administer prisons holding thousands of ISIS fighters in the northeast, with Abdi saying in February the new authorities wanted them under Damascus's control.