The live blog has ended.
No updates to the live blog at the moment.
In Tunisia, a transformation is now underway that is no longer experimental, but a structural shift in public action.
Indeed, the administration begins in 2026 a phase of acceleration where digitization ceases to be a technical project and becomes a lever of governance. Behind the announcements led by the Minister of Communication Technologies Sofiene Hemissi, a more ambitious architecture is taking shape: that of a platform state, based on data, traceability and the automation of processes.
This dynamic fits a global trend. According to the World Bank, more than 70% of administrative interactions in emerging economies should be digitalized by 2030, while the OECD estimates that digitization can reduce administrative costs by 15% to 30% on average.
A tangible acceleration of digitalization is clearly observable in the country through the operational indicators of the first quarter of 2026. Out of a total of 192 digital projects undertaken, 20 have already been completed, i.e., 10.4%, while 121 are in progress, representing 63% of the portfolio. The remaining 26.6% correspond to initiatives in the structuring or launching phase.
This pace places Tunisia in a framework of large-scale transformation, far from the fragmented pilot approaches observed in many comparable countries. By way of comparison, in several African administrations, the average rate of digitally deployed projects remains below 8%, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
Digital taxation: the heart of the reform
Digitization is becoming the pivot of the national tax system’s transformation, historically identified as a vulnerability point in terms of transparency and revenue mobilization.
Gradually several structural instruments are being deployed, including electronic invoicing planned for the third quarter of 2026, the dematerialized tax stamp, the online tax identifier, and remote payment of the road tax.
The challenge goes beyond administrative simplification. It is about strengthening the traceability of flows and reducing the informal economy, which still represents between 30% and 40% of GDP according to IMF estimates. In countries that have adopted large-scale electronic invoicing, such as Brazil or Mexico, tax revenues have increased by 5% to 10% in the medium term thanks to fraud reduction.
Towards cross-cutting digitalization
Parallel to this, transformation extends to key sectors of the real economy. The health system is beginning its transition toward the digital hospital, with the integration of electronic health records and hospital management platforms. In education, the digitization of teaching content and assessment systems is redefining learning modalities. The transport sector, for its part, is moving toward complete dematerialization of administrative services.
This sectoral convergent approach signals a deeper transformation: the shift from a segmented bureaucratic state to an interconnected ecosystem. Internationally, countries that have succeeded in this integration show public productivity gains of up to 20%, according to McKinsey.
A strategy structured around three pillars
This transformation is organized around a roadmap launched in 2024, articulated around three complementary axes. The first concerns digital infrastructure, with the deployment of interoperable systems and the modernization of public databases. The second focuses on human capital, through strengthening digital skills and training of public agents. The third aims at digitizing procedures, with the automation of services and the reduction of physical interactions.
These pillars align with international standards of digital governance. According to the United Nations International Telecommunication Union, countries combining these three dimensions achieve an average improvement of 25% in the efficiency of public services.
Economy and transformation of the state-user relationship
The expected effects materialize at several levels. For citizens, the reduction of administrative delays and the simplification of procedures translate into a significant time saving. In digitized economies, this gain is estimated at between 50 and 70 hours per year per user.
For the State, automation enables better control of financial flows and a reduction in management costs that can reach 20%. For investors, the increased readability of procedures and the reduction of administrative frictions improve the attractiveness of the territory. UNCTAD notes that the quality of digital governance can influence up to 15% of investment decisions in emerging markets.
Rising international positioning, but still fragile
This dynamic also confirms Tunisia’s position in the global e-governance ranking. According to the United Nations E-Government Survey 2024, the country ranks first in North Africa, third on the continent, and 87th worldwide, with an EGDI score of 0.6935, higher than the African average.
This positioning reflects regional leadership, but also highlights a significant potential for improvement. For instance, the best-ranked countries exceed a score of 0.85, illustrating the remaining gap in terms of service integration, data governance, and cybersecurity.
Beyond the indicators, the challenge is now qualitative. The success of this transformation will depend less on the volume of projects than on their interoperability, user trust, and the state’s ability to turn data into a true strategic asset.
