EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti is visiting Tunisia on 19 February for meetings with the country’s leadership to discuss an intensification of EBRD support for Tunisia’s economic transition.
Ahead of the visit, President Chakrabarti said: “We are fully committed to further supporting Tunisia’s private sector development and the authorities’ 2016-20 development plan. The country has taken very important steps towards political stability, strengthening the institutional framework and creating more stable economic growth. I look forward to our discussions on how we can further contribute to Tunisia’s sustainable economic growth.”
During his visit, President Chakrabarti is due to meet Tunisia’s President Beji Caid Essebsi, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, Minister of Development, Investment and International Cooperation and EBRD Governor Zied Ladhari, and Minister of Finance Ridha Chalghoum.
The EBRD delegation will include Doug Nevison, Board Director for Tunisia; Alain Pilloux, Vice President, Banking; Janet Heckman, Managing Director for the southern and eastern Mediterranean region; and Antoine Sallé de Chou, Head of the EBRD office in Tunisia.
Since the EBRD began operations in Tunisia in September 2012, the Bank has invested over €640 million across 32 projects in the country. The Bank’s investments aim to support the restructuring and strengthening of the financial sector and financing of private enterprises, supporting energy efficiency and developing a sustainable energy sector, as well as facilitating non-sovereign financing for infrastructure development.
To date, the Bank has also supported 530 small and medium-sized enterprises in the country, with business advisory services.