Summary:

From 17 to 19 January, Prime Minister Najla Bouden, attended Davos 2023, the 52nd annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. This year’s meeting in Switzerland was themed “Cooperation in a Fragmented World”. Bouden was accompanied by the Tunisian Minister of Finance, the Governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia and the Ambassador of Tunisia to Switzerland. 

On the second day of the Forum, Bouden met with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva. Bouden described the meeting as positive. Georgieva tweeted after the meeting: “It was a pleasure to discuss with Prime Minister Naglaa Boudin (sic) the fund’s support for the economic reform program in Tunisia, in particular the efforts aimed at improving social justice and stimulating inclusive growth. The IMF remains a strong partner for Tunisia.”

Bouden stressed that “the time has come for Africa to take responsibility for itself in the face of imported crises, including poverty, climate change, and others.” In order to achieve this goal, Bouden mentioned four priorities for the African continent:

• Investing in human potential
• Strengthening climate resilience in African countries via renewable energy
• Strengthening continental interdependence through the implementation of trade agreements, including the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement
• Developing South-South cooperation, triangular cooperation and international cooperation

Outlook:  

While Bouden’s meeting with Georgieva produced positive signs of mutual intent to continue cooperating toward a deal, it did not demonstrate tangible progress toward the reforms of Tunisia’s public finances that will be necessary to receive the loan. A difficult road still lies ahead for Tunisia’s leadership to adopt meaningful reforms, particularly in the public sector, if the country hopes to position itself to receive the financing it desperately needs.

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