馃嚬馃嚦TunisiaNorth Africa
Tunisian Observatory of the Economy warns against risks of photovoltaic concessions
via Business News5 min read
The Tunisian Observatory of the Economy OTE has issued a warning regarding five draft laws concerning concessions for renewable energy production, currently under review by the Assembly of People's Representatives. The OTE's orientation note, "Renewable energy concession bills: announced transition, threatened sovereignty," argues that these projects, while aiming for energy independence and cost reduction, prioritize the interests of financiers over national interests. The OTE highlights several risks, including a direct financial impact on the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company Steg, potentially leading to increased debt. The Observatory also points to contractual imbalances favoring foreign investors without significant provisions for technology transfer, local industrial integration, or sustainable job creation. Furthermore, concerns were raised about the transfer of exchange rate risk to Steg, foreign currency outflows over more than twenty years, and potential environmental impacts. The OTE urges deputies to reject these concession contracts and advocates for new hearings to rethink the energy transition strategy, including a revision of the 2015 law governing the sector. The goal is to leverage the energy transition to strengthen national technological capabilities by involving researchers and local economic actors.
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Must ReadTunisia's trade deficit reached 10.41 billion dinars by the end of May 2026, marking a 24.5% increase compared to May 2025 and a 62.5% increase from May 2024. This figure follows a record deficit of 21.8 billion dinars at the end of 2025. The import coverage rate decreased to 73% in May 2026, down from 76.2% in May 2025 and 80.7% in May 2024, according to the National Institute of Statistics. Exports rose by 5% to 28.17 billion dinars in the first five months of 2026, while imports increased by 9.6% to 38.58 billion dinars during the same period. Growth in exports was driven by mechanical and electrical industries +6.1%, agri-food industries +20%, particularly olive oil sales, and the energy sector +37.7% due to increased refined product sales. Conversely, exports declined in mining, phosphates, and derivatives -31.8%, and textiles, clothing, and leather -6.2%. All import categories saw increases, with energy products up 35.1% and food products up 20.1%. Exports to the European Union, representing 71.5% of total exports, increased to 20.13 billion dinars. Exports to France and Italy grew, while those to Germany and the Netherlands decreased. Exports to Arab countries saw increases with Egypt and Saudi Arabia but fell with Morocco, Algeria, and Libya. Imports from the European Union, accounting for 44.2% of total imports, reached 17.05 billion dinars, with increases from France and Italy, and decreases from Belgium and Spain. Outside the EU, imports from Turkey and India rose,
Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger are experiencing disruptions in several regions worldwide since the early afternoon of Friday, June 12, 2026. Users are reporting difficulties accessing Meta's services, including issues with displaying posts, refreshing news feeds, and sending or receiving private messages. Many users in Tunisia and globally have also noted unexpected disconnections and an inability to load certain content. Reports on outage tracking platforms are increasing, indicating a significant number of affected users, though the exact scale of the incident is still unclear. Meta has not yet provided detailed communication regarding the cause of these disruptions or an estimated time for service restoration. Notably, Threads, another Meta platform, appears to be functioning normally despite the issues affecting Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger.
After months of record-high prices, the gold market is seeing a reversal, with prices now trending downwards. Hatem Ben Youssef, president of the Jewelers' Union Chamber, stated on Friday, June 12, 2026, that this decline is welcomed by professionals. He explained that excessively high prices ultimately harm the industry by making gold less accessible to many consumers, especially given the limited purchasing power in Tunisia. The price of an 18-carat gold gram had reached 380 dinars before correcting to 280 dinars, and is currently around 295 to 297 dinars. Ben Youssef noted that jewelers are not interested in price increases because they negatively impact sales. While the market is experiencing a progressive decline, consumers will not see an immediate reflection of this in store prices. This is because the selling price of jewelry includes the acquisition cost of raw materials and manufacturing. Some products exceeded 500 dinars per gram at the peak, with jewelers' profit margins remaining limited at about 2.5%. Some merchants are even selling without a profit margin to clear high-priced stock and replace it with more advantageously priced acquisitions. Once this transition is complete, profit margins will be restored, and more accessible prices will be offered to consumers. If the trend continues, an 18-carat gold gram could sell for 400 to 420 dinars. The decline is dependent on international prices, which are sensitive to geopolitical and financial uncertainties. For Tu