Tunisia looks to the Gulf
Qatar has offered Tunisia a $1 billion low interest loan to bolster its economy, the Tunisian presidential spokesman announced on Wednesday..
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Tunisia-looks-t...
It has also offered 20,000 job opportunities to Tunisia's 200,000 unemployed university graduates, added Adnan Mancer the presidential in remarks to journalists,according to a report by AFP.
Tunisia's economy shrank by 1.8 percent in 2011 and its already high unemployment has soared to 19 percent, up from 14 percent,according to official figures. There are an estimated 750,000 unemployed in this country of 10 million, 200,000 of which are university graduates.
President Moncef Marzouki on a recent visit to the Gulf called for investment in the Gulf and announced the lifting of visa requirements for Gulf nationals in an effort to boost tourism and investment. Kuwait has also promised more projects in Tunisia.
There have also been approaches from Saudi Arabia, notably the visit of Sheikh Abdullah Saleh Kamel of Dallah Al Baraka to Tunisia.President Marzouki acknowledged an overdependence on the European market which was now suffering from a financial crisis which is affecting tourist's travel budgets. He looked to the Gulf, the Mashreq and the Maghreb according to a report in Jeune Afrique.
Some Tunisians have expressed concerns over Qatar's increasing financial acquisitions in Tunisia. They refer to allegations that Qatar has backed islamists in Libya and has a close relationship with the ruling Ennhada party.
However such fears have been expressed before by other countries where Qatar has invested and have been generally regarded to be unfounded.Concerns about Qatari investment in France have been raised during the French Presidential election.
Qatar is one of the few nations in the world with enough liquidity to mount a global investment policy. However commentators note that as well as taking over the mobile telephone company Tunisiana, Qatar has also bought a substantial amount of Tunisian government bonds. Some wonder about the long term consequences of such major investments.However given Tunisia's post revolutionary economic situation such generous support is obviously welcome and reflect Qatar's strong investment in the Maghreb in Morocco and Algeria.
The grave reality of Tunisia's unemployment situation is illustrated by an article by Bill Code of SBS who recounts a visit to Redeyef which is close to Gafsa in the middle of the Tunisian phosphate basin and the town of Um Larais where serious riots broke out over job applications for work in the phosphate industry and allegations that not enough work was going to local workers.
Similar protests were taking place in Redeyef.The Arab Spring began in Sidi Bouzid with the immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi and the conclusion ofthe report is that both there and in the entire eastern region of Tunisia whole towns remain neglected and abandoned. The article concludes that the message from the unemployed youth who drove that revolution is loud and clear; nothing much has changed since the revolution last year. President Marzouki himself had to leave Gafsa abruptly whilst on a visit because of demonstrations.
It is this long term unemployment and despair because of years of negelect under the former regime which is the critical issue and discontent is now being expressed about the handling of the situation by the interim government.It is no wonder that President Marzouki has turned to the Gulf for a swift economic solution.
Tunisia's economy shrank by 1.8 percent in 2011 and its already high unemployment has soared to 19 percent, up from 14 percent,according to official figures. There are an estimated 750,000 unemployed in this country of 10 million, 200,000 of which are university graduates.
President Moncef Marzouki on a recent visit to the Gulf called for investment in the Gulf and announced the lifting of visa requirements for Gulf nationals in an effort to boost tourism and investment. Kuwait has also promised more projects in Tunisia.
There have also been approaches from Saudi Arabia, notably the visit of Sheikh Abdullah Saleh Kamel of Dallah Al Baraka to Tunisia.President Marzouki acknowledged an overdependence on the European market which was now suffering from a financial crisis which is affecting tourist's travel budgets. He looked to the Gulf, the Mashreq and the Maghreb according to a report in Jeune Afrique.
Some Tunisians have expressed concerns over Qatar's increasing financial acquisitions in Tunisia. They refer to allegations that Qatar has backed islamists in Libya and has a close relationship with the ruling Ennhada party.
However such fears have been expressed before by other countries where Qatar has invested and have been generally regarded to be unfounded.Concerns about Qatari investment in France have been raised during the French Presidential election.
Qatar is one of the few nations in the world with enough liquidity to mount a global investment policy. However commentators note that as well as taking over the mobile telephone company Tunisiana, Qatar has also bought a substantial amount of Tunisian government bonds. Some wonder about the long term consequences of such major investments.However given Tunisia's post revolutionary economic situation such generous support is obviously welcome and reflect Qatar's strong investment in the Maghreb in Morocco and Algeria.
The grave reality of Tunisia's unemployment situation is illustrated by an article by Bill Code of SBS who recounts a visit to Redeyef which is close to Gafsa in the middle of the Tunisian phosphate basin and the town of Um Larais where serious riots broke out over job applications for work in the phosphate industry and allegations that not enough work was going to local workers.
Similar protests were taking place in Redeyef.The Arab Spring began in Sidi Bouzid with the immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi and the conclusion ofthe report is that both there and in the entire eastern region of Tunisia whole towns remain neglected and abandoned. The article concludes that the message from the unemployed youth who drove that revolution is loud and clear; nothing much has changed since the revolution last year. President Marzouki himself had to leave Gafsa abruptly whilst on a visit because of demonstrations.
It is this long term unemployment and despair because of years of negelect under the former regime which is the critical issue and discontent is now being expressed about the handling of the situation by the interim government.It is no wonder that President Marzouki has turned to the Gulf for a swift economic solution.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Tunisia-looks-t...