The “Tunisie Digitale 2020” program shows real technical gains, but the slowness of its disbursements places it under the supervision of the African Development Bank.
There are two ways to measure digital transformation: by the number of online services, or by the state’s ability to finance, commission and deliver them on time.
The program supporting the National Strategic Plan “Tunisie Digitale 2020” illustrates the tension between the two. A few weeks before the closing date of December 31, 2026, it disbursed 22.7 million units of account out of 59.9 million committed, i.e., 37.9%, while 62.1% of the loan remains to be drawn.
A program designed as a lever for transformation
Approved on 8 November 2017 and coming into force in September 2018, the project rests on total funding of €134.96 million. The AfDB loan accounts for €71.56 million, the national counterpart €63.40 million, to which is added $750,000 from the KOAFEC fund. The borrower and the guarantor are the Ministry of Finance, while implementation is entrusted to the Ministry of Communications Technologies and the Digital Economy, via a Delivery Unit.
The stated ambition goes beyond mere informatisation: to create skilled jobs, to permeate all sectors with digital technology, and to make the digital sector a sustainable contributor to tax revenues. The “Smart Gov” component constitutes its core, backed by institutional support and capacity building.
What the June 2026 supervision mission says
These findings come from the African Development Bank’s Execution and Results Report (EER), dated 14 August 2026 and derived from the field mission conducted from 8 to 12 June. Its diagnosis is twofold.
Development objectives and results are judged satisfactory, but the project’s status is classified as “potentially problematic,” with a red flag confirmed since May 2024 and carried forward to the mid-term review in October 2025. The Bank notes that the recent deterioration of indicators brings the operation closer to the downgrade threshold to a problematic project, and that maintaining its current status now holds only marginally.
Figures that tell two speeds
