As part of the official visit he is undertaking in Germany on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Mr. Mohamed Ali Nafti, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, chaired, on March 24, 2026 in Berlin, a roundtable organized in cooperation with the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry “Ghorfa”.
This meeting brought together several senior officials and executive directors from major German economic institutions, such as the Federation of German Industry (BDI), the Federation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (BVMW), the German Africa Economic Cooperation Association (Afrika Verein), as well as private companies interested in investing in our country.
On this occasion, the minister delivered a briefing on the state and prospects of the Tunisian-German economic partnership, highlighting the importance of German investments in Tunisia. Germany indeed ranks second in terms of foreign direct investment in our country, thanks to the presence of more than 320 active German companies operating in high value-added sectors, such as the automotive components industry, electronic industries, textiles and technological services. He also praised the strong employment capacity of these companies, which provide more than 93 thousand jobs in Tunisia.
The minister further stressed the qualitative evolution of the activities of these companies in our country, noting that they have undertaken new investments in Tunisia, reflecting the level of confidence Tunisia enjoys as an investment destination among German business operators.
On another note, Mohamed Ali Nafti expressed satisfaction with the record level reached by trade exchanges between the two sides, which exceeded 5.3 billion euros in 2025, with a surplus of nearly 1.1 billion euros in Tunisia’s favor. Tunisian exports to the German market, in turn, exceeded 3.2 billion euros during the same year, representing a 13% increase compared to 2024.
This roundtable, in which the representative of the Tunisian external investment promotion agency’s office in Germany also took part, provided an opportunity to exchange views on Tunisia’s diverse comparative advantages as a promising and attractive investment destination, notably regarding its strategic geographical position, proximity to the European market, the abundance of skills in growth sectors, and the availability of developed physical and digital infrastructures. Added to this is the country’s membership in several regional and continental economic spaces, particularly the African Continental Free Trade Area and COMESA.
On their side, representatives of German economic sectors expressed their interest in establishing new relations with Tunisia, whether through trade or investment, in order to secure value chains and supply the German economy with high value-added and technologically advanced products that Tunisia provides, having become one of the reference hubs for this type of product in the Mediterranean. They also stressed that the climate of stability and security enjoyed by Tunisia is likely to encourage foreign companies to settle there and to guarantee access to regional markets.
In light of the growing interest shown by German business circles in Tunisia, particularly in the context of the region’s shifts, it was agreed to intensify contacts and meetings between the economic actors of the two countries, through organizing a visit by a German economic delegation to Tunisia in the second half of this year, as well as ensuring strong German participation in the various forums and economic events to be organized in Tunisia in the coming months, such as the Carthage Investment Forum.
