Tunisia's Economic Development: A Review of 70 Years of History and a New Path Forward
Despite the challenges of tracing the steps taken by Tunisia's economy since independence in 1956, the Maghreb Economist, a leading national and regional publication, revisited the country's major development cycles at its 27th international forum in Tunis. The event highlighted the need for a new approach to building the future, based on the country's achievements, strengths, and the profound changes taking place globally.
Partnership and Cooperation: A Proven Path
According to Hédi Mechri, director of publication, the partnership and cooperation between the public and private sectors have already proven successful in the economies of Southeast Asia, which are now among the most prosperous in the world. However, Tunisia is still ahead of them by nearly 7 decades.
"In 1964, Tunisia was not only on the starting line of a development that was assumed, but it was also in pole position compared to Southeast Asian countries," Mechri said, highlighting the state's voluntarism, entrepreneurial fever, and the frantic pursuit of wealth, which predicted an uninterrupted development and rapid emergence. However, Mechri noted that "sixty years later, the dragons of Southeast Asia are caracoling on the roof of the world of technology, innovation, and industries 4.0, while our remodeled development model has exhausted itself, revealing its own limitations."
Mechri attributed the gap to a contextual contrast marked by geopolitical tensions in the Euro-Mediterranean region, while the "Asian dragons" would have benefited from the dynamism of the Pacific zone, which dominated the planet. However, Mechri emphasized that the "civilization of the rice bowl and geopolitical considerations do not detract from the merit of the Asian dragons." They would not have achieved such performances without adopting a governance model based on a genuine public-private partnership that propelled them to the top of the development scale.
Mechri concluded by calling for the establishment of a strategic alliance for the future, insisting that it is no longer a matter of delegating or competing, but of co-constructing.
The Sovereignty of the 21st Century
While the sovereignty of the territory, hard-won 70 years ago, is not to be questioned, the independence of decision-making requires a multidimensional action in light of the ongoing changes worldwide. Ferid Belhaj, former vice-president of the World Bank for the Middle East and North Africa, presented a new doctrine of a quadruple-dimensional sovereignty: human, food, financial, and technological.
Belhaj emphasized that the human factor has always been a strategic asset for Tunisia, with Tunisian skills proving their worth both in Tunisia and abroad. However, he deplored the brain drain, qualifying it as a "loss of sovereignty." "We train young people, but we lose them," he noted, showing that "we only finance the competitiveness of others," and that countries dependent on the expertise of others "end up depending on the decisions of others," making it urgent to find a mechanism to retain and interest Tunisian engineers, doctors, and skills.
The urgent need is also emphasized in agricultural action, which should demonstrate not only production capacity but also resilience, as well as in the financial domain, marked by difficulties and accumulated debts, which cannot be overcome without complete sovereignty.
Belhaj warned of the danger of prioritizing the financing of the present state over financing the future of the country, explaining that if financial means are used to pay debts, it would lead to a decrease in financial resources for investments in education, health, energy, etc., resulting in a slowdown of the economy.
Regarding the geopolitical upheavals and tensions in the Middle East, Belhaj highlighted the importance of Tunisia's geographical position, which has always been a major commercial advantage. However, he emphasized that geography alone does not create prosperity and that investing in a modern and competitive logistics is essential. He concluded that this transformation could reposition Tunisia in the new Euro-Mediterranean energy geography.
Rapid Action Required
Belhaj emphasized the need for rapid action and warned that slowness is synonymous with strategic vulnerability.
