President Ben Ali’s address at Tataouine Governorate Regional Council’s special session

TUNISIAONLINENEWS- President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali delivered the following address as he chaired, on Wednesday, the special session of the Regional Council of the Governorate of Tataouine:

“In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to chair today the special session of the Regional Council of the Governorate of Tataouine, as part of the tradition we have established to follow up the development process in all regions of the country and enrich it with the necessary measures and decisions.

I take this opportunity to greet and pay tribute to the inhabitants of the Governorate of Tataouine, for their unswerving adherence to the choices of the Change, and their active endeavour to promote the development process in their region and make strides forward in all fields.

The Governorate of Tataouine has, since the Change, been paid continual attention.

The volume of investment allocated for this Governorate amounts to 1392 million dinars, including 627 million dinars of public sector investments. This has improved the living conditions of inhabitants in urban and rural areas, consolidated the infrastructure, and created a development dynamic in all sectors.

In the agricultural field, irrigated perimeters have been extended to cover 6,700 hectares, compared to 270 hectares before the Change. Fruit trees have been planted over a total area of 49,000 hectares, and promising crops that are suited to the region’s natural features have been introduced.

We have also granted attention to the mobilisation of water resources. This has allowed to drill 50 deep boreholes and 500 surface wells, to pursue water and soil preservation works over an area of 93,000 hectares, and to build 275 water run-off checking units.

In the forestry and farming sector, an afforestation project for the hills surrounding the city of Tataouine has been implemented.

As regards infrastructure, an integrated road network has been laid down to meet the requirements of the regional economy and link the Governorate to its regional surroundings, through the asphalting of 700 kilometers of roads and the construction of several bridges.

The tourist sector has been enhanced in the region, by building a tourist complex, enlarging and developing three hotels, launching the building of a new tourist complex, developing a tourist leisure area, and improving and restoring a large number of Saharan Ksours.

The programmes and projects implemented in the region have helped upgrade human resources, and consolidate the network of schools, vocational training centers, and higher education institutions.

In the field of health, achievements include the building of a regional hospital, two local hospitals, four emergency services, and 26 basic healthcare centres.

The region has also benefited from achievements in the fields of culture, youth and sports. These include the launch of a regional radio station, the establishment of two culture centres, nine public libraries, a youth complex, three youth centers, a sports complex, a swimming pool and two sports halls, in addition to the turfing of two playing fields.

To improve people’s living conditions, a number of rural and urban areas have been provided with drinking water and connected up to the electricity network.

Besides, the towns of “Tataouine” and “Ghomrassen” have been protected against floods.

We also focused on developing regions with special problems, by extending the interventions of the National Solidarity Fund to 28 zones, and by carrying out two integrated rural development projects and 10 integrated urban development projects. All these achievements have improved living conditions in the region, the rural electrification and drinking water supply rates having risen to 99.7%.

We are keen on forging ahead with promoting the development process in the region and diversifying economic activity therein. The total funds allocated to this region, as part of the 11th Development Plan, amount to 669 million dinars, including 210 million dinars for the public sector.

In the field of agriculture and protection of natural resources, we will continue to mobilise and rationalise the use of water resources, through creating irrigated areas, preserving the soil, developing pastures, and fighting desertification.

In line with the decisions we have adopted as part of the Prospective Plan to Develop Saharan Areas, which aims at further integrating these regions within the dynamics of development and at making use of the potential contained therein, particularly water resources, we give instructions for establishing a programme to promote irrigated farming and to expand the region’s palm-groves.

This programme will involve the conduct of technical studies on creating a new area of palm-groves and irrigated perimeters over 1,000 hectares in the regions of “Borj Bourguiba”, “Lourezt” and “Bir Zar”, so as to enhance the region’s contribution to irrigated and oasis farming; in addition to creating an irrigated perimeter in “El Mgassem” over 45 hectares, and laying down 40 kilometres of rural tracks in the irrigated perimeters of “Mzar” and “northern Tataouine.”

To protect the natural milieu against erosion and desertification, we give instructions for implementing the second phase of the project to afforest the hills around the town of “Tataouine” over an area of 2,000 hectares, for implementing a project to check run-off water and to preserve water and soil in the zones of “Maztouria,” “Ressifa” and “Beni Bilal” (northern and southern Tatatouine), and for implementing a programme to fight desertification and desert encroachment in the regions of “Essmar,” “Remada” and “Bir Lahmar.”

Given the importance of cattle-breeding in strengthening the regional economy, and as this activity requires adequate areas for natural pastures, especially in “Dhaher” area, and given the need to improve the management and exploitation of these pastures, we give instructions for implementing the second phase of the farming and pastoral development project, and also for encouraging local initiative in terms of cattle- breeding and pastoral development, and providing the necessary facilities, which will improve the breeders’ incomes and boost the camel-raising sector in particular.

To promote integrated development, achieve balance among the different regions of the Governorate and facilitate the integration of the rural milieu within the economic dynamics, we give instructions for implementing three integrated development projects in the regions of “northern Tataouine,” “southern Tataouine” and “Ghomrassen.”

As regards industrial and technological development, we are currently conducting the necessary geological studies to identify local reserves of exploitable marble, gypsum and mineral salts.

Moreover, we are working, as part of the 11th Development Plan, to boost private investment and attract investors, by highlighting the region’s preferential advantages and assets in terms of construction materials, modern infrastructure, and competent human resources.

To further promote this sector and make best use of all the region’s potential, we give instructions for creating an industrial and technological complex composed of a 20-hectare industrial area, a technological area of 3,000 sq.m., a service area of 2,500 sq.m., and three industrial buildings covering 6,000 sq.m. We also give instructions for establishing a remote labour centre in “Remada,” launching the operation of the remote labour centre in “northern Tataouine,” creating two “handicrafts villages,” in “Tataouine” and “Ghomrassen,” and providing a real-estate reserve in “Ghomrassen” and “Bir Lahmar.”

To make best use of the region’s potential, promote the use of the construction and mining materials available therein and make sure they are industrialised with the needed profitability, we give instructions for creating a company to exploit sodium sulphate in “Sebkhat Oum El Khialat,” in “Essmar,” which will generate some 160 jobs, for reducing by 75% the rental tax currently applied to the exploiting of quarries, and for organising, in 2010, a colloquium to identify and make known the region’s investment projects.

To enhance the region’s gains in the scientific and technological field, we give instructions for creating a branch of the technopole in order to make best use of the Saharan wealth and for intensifying scientific research on the use of Saharan assets in terms of natural and aromatic plants and animal wealth.

As for tourist development, we will endeavour to make better use of the region’s natural, historical, cultural and environmental features, and to integrate these within the Sahara tourist circuits.

In this context, we give instructions for launching the rehabilitation of the Tataouine tourist area over 30 hectares, as an extension of the “Tozeur,” “Douz” and “Djerba” tourist centres, for asphalting the “Guermassa-Ksar Ghilane” tourist road over a distance of 43 kilometres, which will link the region to the Sahara circuit, for developing and rehabilitating the tourist sites of “Douiret” and “Guermassa,” and for implementing a second phase of the project to safeguard and restore the “Chenini” site in “southern Tataouine.”

We also give instructions for rehabilitating the tourist geological track linking “Ghomrassen” to “Ksar Hdadda” over a distance of seven kilometres, for establishing a programme to develop and rehabilitate the Berber Ksours as part of a tourist circuit that includes “Tataouine,” “Ghomrassen,” “Guermassa,” “Chenini,” “Douiret” and “Ksar Ouled Soltane,” for establishing a museum to enhance the tourist sector and highlight the Saharan heritage and the region’s specific natural and cultural characteristics and for including the municipality of “Tataouine” within the field of action of the Fund to Protect Tourist Areas.

As regards the consolidation of infrastructure, we will continue to extend the road network and to develop the industrial zones, by rehabilitating and consolidating 185 kilometres of numbered roads, and by rehabilitating and asphalting 40 kilometres of rural track.

To further improve the region’s infrastructure facilities, we give instructions for launching the rehabilitation and enlargement of the road from “Tataouine” to “Remada,” and the road from “Bir Lahmar” to “Ghomrassen”, and also for building a bridge over “Oued Graguer.”

We also give instructions for starting the building of hydraulic works on “Oued Er-roussa” in “Dhehiba”, and for asphalting the “Ez-zahra-Maabed” (northern Tataouine) track, the “Goraat Helal-El Morra” (Essmar) track, the “Ouediat-Abd El Ounis” (Essmar) track, and the “El Briga” (Remada) track.

As for human resources and social development, the plan aims at promoting health establishments by further improving and enlarging the Tataouine regional hospital, and building medical consultation and emergency services in the local hospitals of “Remada” and “Dhehiba.”

Given the region’s specificities and extended size, we give instructions for creating an emergency service in the Tataouine regional hospital, an emergency service in “Essmar,” and a basic healthcare centre in “Al-Mahrajane” district (northern Tataouine), and also for purchasing four ambulances.

As for education, training and higher education, our attention will be focused on upgrading and enhancing the in- take capacity of training and education institutions, building two elementary schools, and a secondary school, in addition to structuring the Tataouine vocational training centre, enhancing the in-take capacity of higher-education institutions and launching the construction of the Higher Institute of Technological Studies and the Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts in Tataouine.

To enhance culture, youth and sports programmes planned for the region under the 11th Development Plan, we give instructions for establishing a culture center in the region of “Essmar,” for completing the second phase of the culture center in “Dhehiba,” and for building a public library in “Ksar Ouled Dabbab”, in southern Tataouine.

We also give instructions for turfing and lighting the Nejib El Khattab sports complex, covering the Ibn Mandhour playing field in southern Tataouine with artificial turf, rehabilitating and improving the playing fields of “Essmar,” “Dhehiba” and “Remada,” enlarging and air-conditioning the residence area in the youth complex in “Al-Mahrajane” district (northern Tataouine), improving the camping centre in “Douiret” (southern Tataouine), and establishing a children’s club in “Dhehiba.”

As part of the programmes included in the plan to improve living conditions, we give instructions for providing drinking water to 318 families in the zones of “Onk-El Jmal,” “El Bnaya,” “El Jorf” district, “Ez-zahra,” “Lobbiten” and “7 November” district (southern Tataouine), 78 families in the zones of “Tounekt,” “Er-ragba,” “Beni Barka” and “Masrab” (southern Tataouine), 30 families in the zone of “El-Farch” (Ghomrassen), 78 families in “Rehach,” “Essmar,” “Kerchaou” and “Garaat Helal” (Essmar), 39 families in zones of “Bouhnich”, “Zahafi” and “Grar Ouled Yahia” (Bir Lahmar), and 33 families in the zone of “Nekrif” (Remada).

We also give instructions for providing solar power electricity in rural areas for 220 families.

We also give instructions for enlarging the sanitation networks of “Tataouine” and “Ghomrassen” for 5,000 inhabitants, for laying down sanitation pipelines for another 5,000 inhabitants in the zones of “Taïeb Mehiri” and “Gharghar” in downtown Tataouine, and for rehabilitating the zone of “Gharghar” (southern Tataouine) and the “April 9” zone (Bir-Lahmar).

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Regional development is a support base and a source of enrichment for national development; and the latter can be comprehensive, fair and balanced only when all efforts and energies are joined to make best use of the natural, cultural, tourist and economic specificities of each region, producing that convergence that is so vital for developing our economy, enhancing our potential and spreading quality of life throughout our country.”