Policy and Regulatory Reform

Improving the Tunisian business-enabling environment

The Sector

Tunisia’s policy reform priorities are more urgent than ever, given the impact of COVID-19 on the country’s 2020 GDP of -8.8% and the resulting budget deficits. JOBS worked across multiple sectors, assisting the government on company registration and investment platforms, digitalization, and trade facilitation. This approach is essential to a business environment that attracts investors and entrepreneurs. JOBS supported tactical reforms, such as digitalization, while insisting on the sustainability of policy initiatives.

JOBS’ Vision and Strategy

JOBS’ policy-reform strategy is focused on helping to forge a productive dialogue between businesses and government that leads to a more effective policy and regulatory environment and savings in the cost and time for businesses to be compliant. JOBS also aimed to assist the government in delivering services more effectively, more transparently, and reach more citizens, especially through e-government and digital tools.

Our Work

JOBS provided policy and regulatory assistance to the private sector and the GOT in three broad categories:

Increasing access to finance for SMEs

- Promoting new and innovative sources of finance such as crowdfunding.
- Helping public funds effectively disburse grant incentives to investors in underserved regions.
- Helping to offer new options for financing investment through the Equity Investment Code.

Making investment simpler, cheaper, and faster

- Reducing the time and cost to register a business in Tunisia.
- Removing unnecessary authorizations, licenses, or permits to setup a new business.
- Helping SMEs compete for public-works projects through the online procurement system (TUNEPS).

Facilitating trade

- Making export and import procedures simpler and less time-consuming.
- Digitizing export and import procedures through GOT online tools for more efficient services.

Impact To Date

JOBS supported Tunisia’s business enabling environment in the following ways:

  • $1.97 million annually after removal of the most burdensome steps in starting a business
  • 17 requirements removed for licenses and authorizations to start a business, reducing time spent by SMEs on these steps by 45 days
  • $1.92 million annually through use of an app to apply for and receive a temporary transport authorizations
  • 30% increase anticipated in the number of public procurement proposals submitted by SMEs, creating more opportunities
  • E-Gov Tools:
    • Online Portals – Giving SMEs What They Need – More Simply, Easily, and Cheaply
    • Rankings - Showcases metrics so that investors and policy makers can easily compare Tunisia’s performance with other countries
    • Market Access - Clarifies >450 requirements for licenses, permits, and specifications to start a business
    • Export/Import Procedures - Defines technical and legal requirements for exporters and importers
    • Export/Import Services – Provides technical support in export/import procedures, including e-payment; online consultations; and e-learning tutorials
    • Four additional portals in the works to consolidate all investment agencies, fully digitize the business registration process, enable transport authorizations via an app for anticipated expansion to other e-gov services, and expand the TUNEPS help desk