Inauguration of the Medjez el-Bab Wastewater Treatment Plant Renovation and Expansion Project
The Minister of Environment, Habib Obeid, and the Japanese Ambassador to Tunisia, Takeshi Osuga, inaugurated the renovation and expansion project of the Medjez el-Bab tertiary treatment wastewater plant in the Béja governorate on Monday, October 20, 2025. Implemented as part of Tunisian-Japanese cooperation, this project represents an investment of nearly 22 million dinars and will benefit approximately 30,000 inhabitants until 2041.
A Modernized Station to Accompany Urban Development
The renovation work, which began in 2022, has increased the treatment capacity of the station to over 6,000 m³ per day, taking into account the local demographic evolution, estimated to increase by more than 6,000 inhabitants in the coming years. The project also includes the construction of new infrastructure to ensure effective tertiary treatment of wastewater, in order to protect the quality of the Medjerda wadi waters.
A Long-Standing Cooperation
The Minister of Environment praised the ongoing cooperation between Tunisia and Japan for over 70 years, emphasizing that Japan remains one of the most important partners in the environmental field, particularly in innovative technologies, waste valorization, and the fight against climate change.
Environmental Protection: A Priority in Bilateral Cooperation
The Japanese Ambassador recalled that environmental protection is a priority in bilateral cooperation and expressed his satisfaction with the inauguration of this second station implemented under the Tunisian-Japanese partnership.
A Global Program for Wastewater Treatment
Mohamed Obeid, Central Director of Management at the National Sanitation Office (ONAS), specified that the rehabilitation of Medjez el-Bab is part of a global program with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), aiming to modernize four wastewater treatment plants and renew sanitation networks in ten governorates, with a total budget exceeding 300 million dinars.
New Japanese Investments in Solar Energy
New Japanese companies will also invest in solar energy production in Tunisia. Next December, a call for tenders will be launched to allow farmers in Medjez el-Bab to use treated water to irrigate nearly 100 hectares of forage crops and fruit trees.
A Strategic Environmental Cooperation
Sabriya Bennouni, Director General of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Environment, described the Tunisian-Japanese cooperation as strategic and diversified. She recalled that Tunisia recently joined the Japanese platform of African clean cities and signed a memorandum on carbon offsetting.
Key Components of the Tunisia-Japan Partnership
The Tunisia-Japan partnership in the environmental field includes the rehabilitation of ten wastewater treatment plants, the installation of 662 km of sanitation networks in 15 delegations, the construction of a station in Gabès, as well as waste valorization, energy production, and the protection of biodiversity and soils.
