First Independent Mena Newspaper
All economic indicators in Tunisia are flashing red as the country grapples with widening trade deficits, mounting debt vulnerabilities, and slowing growth in key sectors. Meanwhile, the country’s autocratic leader drags feet on urgent reforms as the economy risks sliding into prolonged stagnation. Tunisia’s trade deficit reached 8.4 billion dinars by the end of May […]
At least forty migrants, among them infants, died after a boat bound for Europe capsized off the coast of Mahdia in central Tunisia on Wednesday, October 22. According to Mahdia court spokesman Walid Charbi, Tunisian naval units rescued around thirty survivors from the vessel, which was carrying migrants largely from sub-Saharan Africa. Authorities have launched […]
The Tunisian government plans to seek $3.7 billion in direct financing from the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) in 2026, after borrowing $2.3 billion this year to cover urgent debt repayments. Total financing needs are projected at 27 billion dinars, with plans for a 7 billion dinar sukuk issuance, a first for the country. Public […]
Tunisia’s economic credibility is eroding rapidly, with the country now absent from key international benchmarking reports and struggling to attract foreign investment. Once hailed by the World Bank as a model of sound governance in Africa and the Middle East, Tunisia has become a cautionary tale of missed opportunities, political drift, and economic mismanagement in […]
Tunisia’s industrial sector experienced a significant widening of its trade deficit during the first half of 2025. According to data from Tunisia’s Agency for the Promotion of Industry and Innovation (APII), while the country’s exports showed modest growth of 1.9%, reaching 29.48 billion dinars, imports surged by 8% to 32.03 billion dinars. This imbalance caused […]
Israeli TV station i24NEWS has reported secret negotiations between Tel Aviv and Washington and third party countries including Iran on the transfer of Hamas leaders from Gaza to Tunisia. The bombshell announcement, made by security analyst Matthias Inbar, is raising serious concerns in Tunisia about the security fallout of hosting the most radical militants of […]
Within a week two leading French papers shed light on the authoritarian drift suffered by Tunisia under the rule of Kais Saied. Both Jeune Afrique and Le Point listed facets of democratic backpedaling under a president who has also undermined Tunisia’s economic outlook Tunisia, once hailed as an Arab Spring’s democratic success story, is now […]
Tunisia’s textile exports grew by 2.61 percent in the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 3.94 billion dinars (€1.18 billion), according to Economy and Planning Minister Samir Abdelhafidh. Speaking at a seminar held in Monastir on Wednesday, August 27, he projected that exports could total 9.36 billion dinars […]
Tunisia was flagged among four other African nations by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for prolonged delays in completing their mandatory Article IV consultations. The other African nations are: Sudan, Eritrea, Liberia, and Senegal, among 13 member states globally. Article IV consultations are annual economic assessments conducted by IMF staff to evaluate a country’s macroeconomic […]
Tunisian President Kais Saied has intensified his confrontation with the country’s most powerful labor organization, the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), in a move that analysts warn could further erode Tunisia’s democratic institutions and deepen its political crisis. The UGTT, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate for its role in Tunisia’s post-revolution democratic transition, has called […]