Tunis, 22.09.2012 – Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, President of the IDB Group, signed two financing agreements for US$ 236 million with H.E. Dr. Riyadh Bettaieb, Minister of Investment and International Cooperation and Governor to the IDB, in the presence of Tunisian Prime Minister H.E. Hamadi Jebali. The agreements cover financing projects in the fields of electricity and vocational training.
The first agreement for US$ 209 is for participation in a power plant development project in the city of Sousse while the second for US$ 27 million {(comprising US$ 2 million from the resources of the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD)} is for vocational training programs in Jendouba, Tozeur and El Kef governorates to provide young Tunisians with education that helps them in securing job opportunities..
On the occasion, the IDB Group President underlined the institution’s commitment to support development projects particularly those related to youth employment in Tunisia. He expressed optimism over improvement of the situation in Tunisia as a result of positive economic growth which he hoped would trigger further investment flow into the country.
The Tunisian Minister, while emphasizing his government’s desire to activate the memorandum of understanding signed between the IDB and Tunisia which includes the general framework for mutual cooperation in economic development during 2012 - 2014, said that the Tunisian government is looking forward to IDB Group’s active participation in financing new development projects in Tunisia.
During the visit, the IDB Group President conferred with Tunisian Prime Minister HE Hamadi Jebali as well as several other senior ranking officials, amongst them, the Minister for Investment and International Cooperation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia, the Chairman of the Board Directors of Zitouna Islamic Bank and CEO of Tunisia Company for Electricity and Gas (STEG). Ways and means to promote existing cooperation between Tunisia and the IDB
Group were discussed during these meetings.