The Maritime Industry: A Strategic Lever for Tunisia's Economic Development
The maritime industry is positioning itself as a key driver of economic growth for Tunisia. Efforts are being made to structure and strengthen this high-potential sector through an ambitious strategic plan by 2035, aiming for sustainable maritime growth, combining industrial sovereignty, energy transition, and regional cooperation.
Development of the Port Sector
The development of the port sector can be explained by a combination of structural, strategic, and institutional factors that reinforce each other, allowing Tunisia to establish itself as a major player in global maritime trade. For years, Tunisia has been working to improve the efficiency of its ports, offering the necessary flexibility to meet the requirements of a competitive global market.
Integrated Logistics Hubs
The evolution of Tunisia's port strategy in recent years has been guided by a global logic that combines economic, geostrategic, and industrial objectives, aiming to position the country as a major player in maritime trade and logistics in Africa and the Mediterranean. This logic is based on the desire to transform ports into integrated logistics hubs, capable of optimally managing container traffic, transshipment, and strategic raw materials, while supporting industrial and economic development.
Economic Attractiveness and Diversification
The new port strategy also falls within a logic of economic attractiveness and diversification of partners, attracting renowned international investors while developing relationships with new markets and commercial partners. This diversification allows for securing supplies, multiplying merchandise flows, and strengthening Tunisia's integration into global value chains.
Drivers of Economic Growth
Tunisian ports are now drivers of the maritime industry, fishing, and the blue economy, contributing to job creation and sustainable economic development. The geostrategic dimension remains central, with Tunisia positioning itself as a hub between Europe and Africa, capable of meeting international transshipment needs and supporting the global competitiveness of its maritime trade.
Transition to a Sustainable Maritime Industry
The development of the maritime industry is now a strategic lever for economic growth and industrial sovereignty for Tunisia. Efforts are being made in terms of energy transition and reducing carbon footprint, as part of an eco-responsible approach aiming to combine logistical performance and sustainability.
Revision of the Maritime Industry Development Policy
In the same context, several measures have been announced by the government to support this sector. A national program will be designed in early 2026 to develop maritime facilities, modernize ports, and connect them to road and rail networks. This also involves restructuring national maritime companies, modernizing the legal and regulatory maritime framework, developing the maritime training system, and supporting national and foreign investment.
Creation of a National Maritime Strategy
The diagnosis of the sector and the perspectives of the maritime industries, as well as the main challenges encountered, will be integrated into the national global strategy in the maritime field currently being developed. Programs will be put in place to develop the sector and strengthen its presence in regional and international markets, particularly by consolidating Tunisia's position as one of the leading African countries in the construction of military and commercial ships, fishing boats, and leisure boats, as well as their maintenance and repair.
Exceptional Potential
Tunisia has a 1,300 km coastline, not including islands, at the heart of a space where 92% of global trade exchanges transit by sea, while 98% of Tunisia's foreign trade also passes through the sea. Another major indicator is that 30% of international maritime trade takes place off the Tunisian coast. The objective is clear: to make the country a regional platform for maritime training, a hub for naval industries, and a key player in the blue economy, with effective logistical networks and multimodal platforms adapted to maritime value chains.
Development of the Maritime Sector
To develop this strategic sector, it is essential to ensure the creation of multifunctional free zones around Tunisia's major ports, the launch of marine technology research centers, and the development of maritime corridors through partnerships with countries in the Mediterranean and African basins. Similarly, the intensification of regional and international competition in the maritime sector, combined with technological mutations in global transport, requires Tunisia to invest in next-generation ports. The future port of Enfidha aims to become one of the most competitive maritime hubs in the southern Mediterranean, with a significant impact on export chains and the development of the country's third district, connecting the Algerian border to the eastern coast. Strategically, Tunisia must consolidate its position in the Mediterranean, which alone accounts for nearly 30% of global maritime traffic.
