Over the past decade, Tunisia has witnessed the proliferation of small business owners, hoping to make a living from their business. Young graduates decide to embark on the entrepreneurial adventure to realize a childhood dream, driven by social, environmental, financial arguments and obviously a great desire for change! [1]
Indeed, despite a few numbers of large companies in Tunisia, the country is experiencing an implementation of the entrepreneurial culture driven by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and what we now call Start-ups! They are driven by the sense of creativity, by innovation, by the willingness to take the chance and try to step out of the poverty line. [2]
According to the latest annual report of the Start-up Act, the number of labelled Tunisian start-ups is increasing every year. In fact, latest statistics show that in 2020Tunisia had 421 labelled start-ups in all sectors.
Among the brightest start-ups and SMEs on the market, it is worth to mention that Agritech, FoodTech and Greentech, all related to the agri-food sector, respectively represent 4.4%, 2.8% and 2.8% over the total number of labelled start-ups in 2019-2020.
The age range of the founders goes from 20 to 49, with 38% of women who are increasingly entering the world of entrepreneurship. [3]
According to Le Monde [4], Tunisia is experiencing a change in terms of green entrepreneurship, with the implementation of new technologies, the transition to a more sustainable agriculture and projects related to the marine resources undertaken by young people and with an impressive female leadership, surprisingly even during the COVID 19 pandemic.
This has been a great encouragement for the implementation of national and international projects financed by local and international investors that contributed to build a great support and enrich the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
These remarkable initiatives are supported by a solid network that provides incubators, accelerators, technical centres for training and “business nurseries” encouraged by multiple international organizations to implement revolutionary project as WaterMEdYin.
In fact, WaterMedyin project is one of the innovative projects sponsored by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation AICS, and executed by CIHEAM Bari, known for its devotion to the green and blue investment in the MENA region. WaterMedYin is a fact for the strong and fruitful partnership with local institutions selected according to their focus in the green and blue work: Agricultural Research and Higher Education Institute (IRESA), the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries through the National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technologies (INSTM) and by several Tunisian ISOs (Innovation Support Organization).
The ISOs will be at the same time beneficiaries and stakeholders of WATERMEDYIN project, which mainly focus on the thematic areas related to the sustainable use and management of water and coastal resources, socio-economic development, the protection of natural resources and the enhancement of the cultural heritage of the Mediterranean communities.
The WaterMedYin project is also a real encouragement for regional collaboration and sharing. The project, in fact, is implemented in three countries, Lebanon, Palestine and Tunisia, and is of great help for the exchange of expertise and experiences among countries, also thanks to the support of MIP project (created by CIHEAM Bari), which is the first Mediterranean Network for youth entrepreneurship and technology transfer in agri-food between Mediterranean countries.
Sources and references:
[1] http://www.tunisieindustrie.nat.tn/fr/download/ci/131_132_2016.pdf
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/business-call-to-action-partnerzone/2019/jul/22/how-tunisias-young-entrepreneurs-are-tackling-the-countrys-brain-drain
[3] https://www.startupact.tn/rapport/Startup-Act-Annual-Report-2019-2020.pdf
[4]https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2020/09/16/en-tunisie-l-agriculture-fait-sa-revolution-numerique_6052455_3212.html?fbclid=IwAR2-1pnum5SwHckZz7rPJVcJd2bFlDx-J7TYgB3pNIxYgoRb0TlROZc23zU
