Ambitious Public-Private Project Aims to Transform Marginalized Area into Strategic Tourist and Economic Hub by 2027
Long perceived as a neglected and polluted space, the Sebkha Ben Ghayadha is set to undergo a transformation. This natural site in southern Mahdia will soon give way to a sustainable and integrated tourist city, as part of an ambitious national development project led by the Tunisian state.
According to Hela Dessim Rahmouni, CEO of the Sebkha Ben Ghayadha Development and Planning Company (under the Ministry of Equipment), this project is among the initiatives with high employment potential and significant added value for the national economy. "We want to transform a marginalized space into a model of a smart city, respectful of the environment and creating opportunities," she told the TAP agency.
Project Overview
The project will cover 142 hectares on the southern coast of Mahdia, with the creation of tourist, commercial, and service hubs, as well as a smart city with international standards. To date, 99.5% of the land belongs to the state, after rehabilitation operations that allowed the lagoon to be cleaned up, formerly a marshy and foul-smelling area.
Rahmouni specified that the developments already made have improved the living conditions of the inhabitants of the surrounding neighborhoods. The sebkha, now stabilized ecologically, has become a strategic land reserve for the future development of the southern coast.
Long-Term Project with a Strong Sustainable Dimension
Included in the national policy of requalifying the coast and diversifying the tourist offer, the Sebkha Ben Ghayadha project aims to energize the region throughout the year, particularly during the low seasons where economic activity remains low.
Preliminary work, started in the 2000s, was carried out in several stages:
- 2007-2011: rehabilitation of the land and creation of the water plan
- 2016-2018: opening of the water plan to the sea
- 2020: protection of the waters of the northern canal A ideas competition, organized in 2021, made it possible to define the future orientations of the project, with a focus on sustainable development and environmental monitoring of the sebkha, between 2022 and 2025.
Towards a Public-Private Partnership
In September 2025, a group of Tunisian and foreign experts was selected to support the state in the preparatory phases of a public-private partnership (PPP) aimed at financing and realizing the project. The 28-month contract includes:
- market study and identification of investors
- design of functional plans
- brand and territorial marketing strategy
- technical and legal assistance until the signing of the final contract A French firm will participate in this joint mission, which should lead to the pre-selection of investors in 2027, the first step towards the effective launch of the project.
The total cost of the work, studies, and land regularization operations amounts to approximately 81.3 million Tunisian dinars as of the end of 2025.
The long-term goal is to make Sebkha Ben Ghayadha a model of ecological and urban conversion, reconciling economic development, sustainable tourism, and environmental preservation.
