Tunisian industrialists will soon have an industrial site in Niamey, Niger, to launch their projects, indicated the president of the Tunisian-Nigerian economic interest group Karim Ben Farhat.
The site should extend over 20 hectares, he further indicated to the Tap agency, on the sidelines of a commercial mission to Niamey, from May 4 to 9, 2024, adding that the announcement was made by the Nigerien Minister of Commerce and Industry, Seydou Asman. The latter gave his agreement in principle during his meeting with several Tunisian private entrepreneurs. This will mark the effective start of the partnership and investments between the two countries, said Ben Farhat.
Several investment projects in a wide variety of areas should be carried out, mainly in the hydraulics, food, and animal feed sectors.
The Nigerien minister also urged Tunisian investors to accelerate the implementation of win-win partnership projects as part of their commitment to invest in Niger, a country where economic growth is expected to reach an unprecedented level, he said. also declared.
The Nigerien Minister of Urban Planning, Housing, and Sanitation, Salissou Sahirou Adamou, also gave his agreement in principle, during his meeting with Tunisian private entrepreneurs, to the granting of land to entrepreneurs Tunisians for the construction of around 500 social housing units, in partnership with the Nigerien government.
Ben Farhat also indicated that Tunisian health professionals wish to create a diagnostic center as well as private health establishments in Niger.
Thirty-five Tunisian companies from various sectors of activity, mainly agriculture, energy, telecommunications, health, pharmacy, digital industry, and public works, participated in the Tunisia-Niger Business Forum organized on May 6 in Niamey, with the participation of 350 Nigerien economic operators.
The head of the commercial representative office of the Export Promotion Center (Cepex) in Abidjan, Noamen Hamdani, told forum participants that around 60 companies (excluding the services sector) export their products to Niger, but only five export regularly. “These exports are mainly food products (couscous, flour) and products from the mechanical and electrical industries (cables and transformers),” he added.
Tunisian exports to Niger remain modest, despite existing opportunities, amounting to 20 million dinars (MDT) in 2023 compared to 45 MTD in 2021. They include pasta, biscuits, structures, ironwork, equipment medical, and surgical. Nigerien exports to Tunisia amounted to $31,000.
The business mission is organized by the Association of Export Advisors of the Tunisian Union of Industry, Commerce and Crafts (UTICA) and the Economic Interest Group ‘Development Tunisia-Niger’, in collaboration with the Nigerien Ministry of Trade and Industry.
