Tunisia Industry

As in other North African markets, the Tunisian retail sector has been predominantly controlled by a myriad of small shops. However, modern distribution channels have gradually emerged over the past 15 years with the expansion of international supermarket chains and franchises across the country. During the 2011 revolution, many supermarkets...

Tunisia has extensive experience in phosphate mining and fertiliser production, as the country’s first mines opened in the late 19th century. Tunisia relies on substantial reserves of phosphate rock, which is estimated at 900m tonnes and regulated by the National Office of Mines. As its stands, phosphate accounts for 2% of Tunisia’s GDP and...

Aeronautics has been one of Tunisia’s fastest-growing industries since 2003, posting double-digit annual growth rates even after the 2011 revolution. The country has leveraged its proximity to Europe and specialises in low-cost component manufacturing.

As a labour-intensive and export-oriented industry, textiles was the first manufacturing segment to benefit from the creation of an offshore regime in 1972. For around 35 years the sector was one of the main engines of GDP growth, benefitting from easy access to European markets and a competitive workforce. Since 2008, however, the industry...

Post-revolutionary instabilities, such as strikes, sit-ins and lost tourism revenue have affected Tunisia’s agribusiness less than other sectors. “This has probably been the most resilient sector since the revolution,” Lilia Kammoun, an analyst at Tunisie Valeurs, a local business management consultancy firm, told OBG. “I think it will...

Tunisia boasts Africa’s sixth-largest manufacturing sector behind Egypt, South Africa and Morocco, and ahead of Kenya. Tunisia’s geography is an important asset for growth, offering direct access to the Mediterranean Sea and proximity to the European market, to which the bulk of the country’s exports are destined. Despite such logistical...