Job partnerships and promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises in Tunisia (completed)
Project description
Title: Job partnerships and promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises in Tunisia
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Tunisia
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Industry and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Overall term: 2018 to 2022
Context
A rapidly growing population, a high unemployment rate and related discontent present major political and social challenges in Tunisia.
Objective
Tunisia has an established, competitive and sustainable private sector. The employment situation of the Tunisian population is improved by the extended financial sector and the mobilisation of domestic and foreign investment.
Approach
The project comprises three fields of activity.
It will contribute to improving the conditions for trade and investment by German and European companies in Tunisia’s automotive and aviation industries. To this end, a Business Facility Desk will be set up as a central point of contact to provide interested companies with information and advice.
Furthermore, Tunisian small and medium-sized companies in selected clusters will benefit from capacity development measures with the aim of employment-generating growth. As of September 2019, the Tunisian Automotive Management Academy (TAMA) initially provides training to the middle management of four automotive companies in the areas of soft skills, lean management, business and project management. The concept will be extended to other companies as of 2020. TAMA is implemented in cooperation with the Educational Association of the Bavarian Economy, which was tasked with developing the curricula and selecting teachers for the various courses.
In addition, the project will contribute to improving the business ecosystem of selected sectoral clusters. To this end, studies are currently being prepared on the current status of these sectors and capacity development measures, such as study trips, are carried out to improve the situation.
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation in achieving its objectives, which include improving the conditions for long-term economic growth in selected African partner countries and promoting local and international investment. The aim is to achieve employment effects that improve the social and economic prospects of the population in the partner countries. The special initiative is one of the central Africa-policy initiatives of the German Government, specifically of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The Marshall Plan with Africa, the reform partnerships and the G20 Compact with Africa Initiative are key in this context.