Economic relations between Côte d’Ivoire and Tunisia are getting a fresh boost in a gloomy economic context resulting from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukrainian crisis and its adverse impact on global economies. The SITIC Africa 2022 was an opportunity for both countries to build a new bridge for their business communities.
By Issiaka N’Guessan in Abidjan
Can do better, seems to be the assessment of the President of the Côte d’Ivoire-Tunisia Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ali Ben Taher, when referring to the share of Tunisian market which the Ivorian companies have. On the contrary, in the other direction, Tunisian companies are well represented on the shores of the Ebrié Lagoon. On this Monday, May 30, the auditorium of the Sofitel Ivoire hotel is packed. There, the Tunisians came in large numbers.
The opportunity of the 6th edition of SITIC Africa 2022, relocated for the first time outside Tunisia, in Abidjan, was too good not to be seized by the Chamber of Commerce Côte d’Ivoire-Tunisia, created in March 2022, to introduce itself to the business community of both countries.
« It is a real pleasure for us to be associated with this event with the participation of many Tunisian companies present in various sectors: digital, financial, innovation and data, » Ali Ben Taher tells ANA. « We are pleased to take part in this event first to announce our birth and our creation and then to offer our services to the business community in Tunisia and Côte d’Ivoire for companies wishing to explore these markets, » he added. Presenting his consular chamber, Ali Ben Taher said « It is a mixed chamber of commerce and industry, composed of Ivorian members and Tunisians. Its objective is to « work on both markets to assist our members in their development projects in both countries, » said the president of the CCI Côte d’Ivoire-Tunisia.
A market to discover and tap into
One of the managers of BH Bank, which offers digital products to « facilitate operations abroad » says it is his first visit to Abidjan with a view to supporting Tunisian companies established or wishing to do so, to better manage their transactions. « We have good feedback from Côte d’Ivoire, » he said.
Echoing this banking official, Ali Ben Taher indicates that « the market between the two countries is viable. « In Côte d’Ivoire, we have no less than 70 Tunisian companies for a turnover of more than 50 billion CFA francs between the two countries, » he said. He acknowledges « that this is true more in the sense of export, from Tunisia to Côte d’Ivoire, a little less from Côte d’Ivoire to Tunisia but it is a market that exists, which can develop particularly in the digital sector, data and software. » On the SITIC Africa, he said « We come to communicate, exchange information, to develop networking, for connections, to address regulatory issues with regulators. We are facilitators like other consular chambers.
Attracting the interest of Ivorian companies
Despite being an African country, Tunisia is of little interest to the Ivorian business community which prefers to trade with Europeans or Asians, according to the president of the CCI Côte d’Ivoire-Tunisia. « The Ivorians are not interested enough in the Tunisian market in my opinion, » says Ali Ben Taher, who argues that « today we have very little flow from Côte d’Ivoire to Tunisia, » noting that « the volume of exports hardly exceeds 5 billion CFA francs.
The president of the CCI Côte d’Ivoire-Tunisia « thinks there are opportunities to explore in Tunisia in the secondary sector of processing, in the field of services. In return, he believes that « Tunisia has a number of skilled workers and know-how that Ivorians must seek to capture. »
On the Ivorian side, Jean Louis Menudier, Vice President of the CGECI, the general confederation of enterprises in Côte d’Ivoire welcomed the « opportunities for triangular cooperation Tunisia-Côte d’Ivoire-France promoted by this SITIC Africa 2022. We, at the same time, advocate that the opportunities for exchanges and professional meetings planned lead to many win-win partnership agreements between the Ivorian private sector and private sectors and organizations of Tunisia, France and other countries. »
Two agreements, one between the Professional Association of Banks of Côte d’Ivoire and the Banking and Finance Council of Tunisia and a Memorandum of Understanding for the launch of a Pan-African Alliance of private digital sectors, were signed.
This 6th edition of SITIC Africa 2022 ends on Wednesday, June 1.
