Tunisia Emerges as a Hub for Female Entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean
Driven by structural reforms and a pool of exceptional talent, Tunisia has become one of the most dynamic centers of female entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean. From digital technologies to cutting-edge industries, Tunisian women are no longer just supporting the economy, they are reinventing it, redesigning its foundations, and infusing it with a more inclusive and resilient vision.
A Fertile Educational and Legislative Ground
This remarkable dynamic is set within a unique institutional and educational framework in the Mediterranean. For several decades, Tunisia has made equality a pillar of its economic modernization. The results are visible: women represent 60% of university graduates, and in certain engineering or advanced technology fields, they account for up to 72% of graduates. They also head 25% of Tunisian companies, a figure that far exceeds the regional average and brings Tunisia closer to the most advanced European countries on this issue, such as Spain. This combination of legislative progress and academic performance has given rise to an ecosystem where women have real access to training, responsibility, and innovation - a rare asset in the region, regularly highlighted in European and Mediterranean reports.
Industry: A Sector Undergoing Profound Feminine Transformation
This progress is strongly reflected in the industry, a sector undergoing profound transformation. Women occupy a growing place in the workforce, but also in leadership positions. They are now present in several strategic manufacturing branches and lead more than 500 industrial companies. Their influence is particularly marked in future industries such as pharmacies, biotechnology, medical devices, and technical textiles, where they hold more than 30% of leadership positions.
At the Maghreb level, Tunisia stands out for a major fact: women are involved at all stages of the industrial value chain, from design to innovation, including management and export. This singularity partly explains the vitality of the national industry.
New Fields of Female Conquest
The energy transition and cutting-edge technologies constitute another field where Tunisian women are making their mark with remarkable assurance. They represent 30% of new engineers specializing in renewable energies, a particularly high percentage in the Mediterranean. Many of them lead solar, hydrogen, or energy efficiency projects in Africa, Europe, or the Middle East, giving Tunisia notable regional visibility in clean technologies.
In high technologies, the rise to power is just as significant. Female success stories are multiplying in areas like robotics, smart materials, healthtech, and deeptech. Tunisia is thus among the few countries in the southern Mediterranean where women are strongly represented in STEM careers, a strategic asset for attracting foreign investment.
Female Leadership: A Question of National Sovereignty
For Fatma Thabet Chiboub, promoting female talent is no longer just a social dimension, it has become an imperative for industrial, energy, and technological sovereignty. "A strong economy mobilizes all its talents," she recalls, emphasizing that female skills constitute an essential national wealth in a global context where competitiveness increasingly relies on innovation and diversity.
The CIFE congress is part of this ambitious vision. Its president, Rachida Jebnoun, insists on the importance of transforming debates into actions to develop more inclusive governance at the regional level. The goal is to make the Mediterranean a space where female entrepreneurs play a structuring role in growth.
Persistent Obstacles but Emerging Solutions
Despite the momentum, obstacles remain numerous. Access to financing remains the main barrier, as only 8% of female entrepreneurs obtain classic bank credit, and barely 2% access venture capital. This reality, shared across the Mediterranean, is due as much to the persistence of biases as to the low female presence in investment committees and business networks.
Added to this is the mental load, which remains considerably heavier for women. In Tunisia, they devote four times more time to domestic tasks than men, an invisible weight that hinders their availability and entrepreneurial progress. Their lesser presence in economic spheres of influence - networks, business clubs, specialized media - also reduces their access to partnership and financing opportunities.
But new levers are emerging to circumvent these barriers. Participatory financing dedicated to female projects is experiencing sustained growth and offers credible alternatives to the traditional banking system. International mentorship programs, such as "She Leads Tech," provide technical training, strategic support, and connection with investors more open to diversity. Several regional initiatives also encourage better integration of women into Mediterranean value chains.
Towards a Mediterranean Roadmap
Behind the speeches and statistics presented in Tunis, a conviction emerges; the economic future of the Mediterranean will have the face of its women. Tunisia is paving the way, not as an isolated case, but as a strong signal sent to all the riparian countries. Equality is no longer a moral objective, it has become a lever of competitiveness, stability, and integration.
From Casablanca to Barcelona, from Palermo to Beirut, the trajectories converge: it is no longer about women claiming a place, but about assuming their role as an engine. The roadmap exists. The challenge is now to nourish this momentum, consolidate the achievements, and amplify regional partnerships to make female leadership a norm, not an exception. A common breath, capable of durably transforming the Mediterranean economy.
