Prime Minister inaugurates international conference on industrial modernization
TUNISIAONLINENEWS- The Prime Minister, Mr. Mohamed Ghannouchi inaugurated on Friday in Gammarth, north of Tunis, the international conference on industrial upgrading and modernization which was attended by brotherly and friendly countries, regional and international institutions, as well as experts.
The Prime minister explained the three specificities of the methodology adopted for 15 years to implement the industry upgrading program worked out after Tunisia’s signing of the association agreement with the European Union and by joining of the world trade organization (WTO).
The first specificity results from the fact that the upgrading program aims at speeding up the rate of growth, which requires the opening out of the economy and its integration into the Euro-Mediterranean area first and world economy afterwards. The second specificity consists in integrating the upgrading program into a vision including enterprises and their environment.
The third specificity relates to the development of relations of cooperation and partnership with all brotherly and friendly countries, as well as with regional and international institutions.
In this regard, Mr. Ghannouchi expressed his satisfaction at the long standing relations of cooperation and partnership between Tunisia on the one hand and with the European Union, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the Islamic Development Bank and Japan, on the other.
He said that Tunisia had managed, in spite of difficulties, to achieve positive results in terms of industrial upgrading and modernization; the number of enterprises which adhered to the upgrading program was higher than expected, totaling 4576 enterprises against the 3000 ones initially targeted.
He also stressed the new objectives set in terms of quality for the next stage whose guidelines were outlined in the 2009-2014 presidential program, adding that these objectives are based on the gains recorded and the ambitions of the national community in terms of improving incomes to reach an average per capita income of 7000 dinars in 2014, meeting all the additional job demands and thus reducing unemployment by 1,5 %, in addition to reinforcing the knowledge economy .
The Prime Minister remarked that Tunisia was starting a new stage in its industrial upgrading and modernization program and that the government is endeavoring to keep on improving the business environment in accordance with priorities defined to this end.
The first priority consists in making the system of education and training further efficient with a better quality and a higher employability by increasing the number of trained engineers from 5000 in 2009 to 7000 in 2011 and 9000 in 2014.
The second priority will be to provide the country with a new infrastructure by increasing threefold the motorway network capacity, building a deep waters harbor, setting up logistics areas and industrial and technological poles in accordance with international standards. The third objective is to undertake new reforms to reduce the tax contributions of enterprises, reinforce the monetary base of banks, increase the liberalization of foreign trade, reduce customs duties, move towards total liberalization of the dinar and reviewing investment incentives in order to boost investments in inland areas in compliance with environment protection.
In conclusion, Mr. Ghannouchi reiterated Tunisia’s capacity to meet challenges by means of the president’s choices for the next stage and thanks to the climate of consensus, social peace, reform and sustained growth, prevailing in the country.
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