Current ICT Initiatives and projects - Tunisia

ICT Initiatives are currently ongoing at national level in the areas of eInfrastructures (Technology Parks, Cyber Parks) and Support measures for Software companies and to set up ICT companies.

Smart Tunisia is a program for offshoring sector companies, with the ambitious goal of creating 50,000 jobs over the next five years in the areas of offshoring, the Nearshoring and collocation. Designed as part of a public-private partnership, "Smart Tunisia" responds to offshoring sector revitalization will, through the provision of incentive mechanisms for the implementation of supply and convergence demand for employment in the sector. The Tunisian government has allocated a budget equivalent to €500 million for 5 years in the form of incentives, to support international and local operators in their growth and development strategies of their activities. The objectives of "Smart Tunisia" include to create 50,000 jobs over the next 5 years; act as sole contact for the beneficiaries of the program companies and foreign investors who might be potential beneficiary; Making Tunisia the leader of the francophone offshoring and elevate Tunisia to the rank of offshoring hub and platform skills for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The "Smart Tunisia" program finds its legal basis in Decree No. 2014-6 of 2 January 2014 which aims to promote offshoring activities in the field of Information Technology and Communication and the creation of a management unit.

In January 2017, the Ministry of Health launched the Digital Health (e-health) Development Initiative, which aims to provide health facilities in Tunisia with ICT tools. It aims to set up a digital platform leveraging information systems and telemedicine functionality. The first functionality will be used to facilitate the management of the patient flow and to improve their care by facilitating reception and transfers while ensuring traceability. The second feature is to consolidate sponsorship efforts between university hospitals and regional hospitals in inland areas. The objective is to provide physicians with telemedicine tools to assist the medical practitioner on site, as well as remote patient monitoring. This initiative has multiple benefits and will affect patients (better equality of care), health professionals (improving working conditions and reducing the load and displacement, the acquisition of new knowledge and the strengthening collaboration between professionals) and public authority (optimization of human resources management, maintenance of a health presence throughout the country and lower costs of care). From the many proposals received, the Ministry of Health selected five for funding.

The project	Project benefeciery
Telecardiology platform	University Hospital Center - Hedi Chaker- Sfax
Teleperinatality platform of the South	University Hospital Center - Hedi Chaker- Sfax
First Aid and Emergency Response in Cardiology	Regional Health Direction of Nabeul
Obstetric telechography platform	Maternity and Neonatology Center of Tunis
Teleradiology platform	Mohamed Kassab Institute of Orthopedics

All these projects will be launched in June 2019 due to financial resource constraints.

Initiatives and projects addressing Infrastructures for ICT companies

Tunisia is continuously developing innovative projects in heavy infrastructures for ICT sectors and related fields, as: technological parks, Poles of competitiveness and cyber parks.

Technology Parks

To support the development of companies and the launch of businesses with strong added value in terms of innovation, Tunisia established an ambitious program for the development of 10 technological parks. This program currently comprises three parks specializing in ICT:

- Digital Technology in Sfax;

- Nano and micro electronics in Sousse;

- Communication technologies in Tunis, in addition to an ICT component in all the other parks (bio-informatics).

This environment has fostered synergies between industry, research and educational universities. The technological parks have also promoted the emergence and development of innovative foreign and Tunisian companies.

The first technological park dedicated to ICT in Tunisia and North Africa, was Elgazala Technopole, which began its activities at the end of the 1990s. It accommodates over 90 companies employing 1650 people including 98% who are graduates. It also exports 75% of site production. Elgazala Technopole hosts some of the most prestigious multinationals such as Alcatel, Ericsson, Huawei Technologies, STMicroelectronics, Stone Soft, Kromberg Shubert and others. In order to meet an increasing demand, two additional sites will be annexed to Elgazala Technopole: Ennahli on 36 hectares and Manouba on 54 hectares.

Poles of competitiveness

Eight sectoral poles of national competence or regional competitiveness have been implemented to widen the sphere of activity of the technological parks and to reinforce the potential of sectoral innovation, clustering and development of technological partnerships and support company creation.

Cyber Parks

A network of cyber parks dedicated to providing on-line services was established across the entire country resulting in 14 cyber parks being in place by 2009.

Support for Investment in ICT

Tunisia has shown a significant interest in the development of ICT with concrete support to the development of the private sector, the environment, infrastructure and the legislative framework. Indeed, a set of incentives was set up and promoted Tunisia as a favourable site for the development of ICT.

Support for Setting up ICT companies

The main support programs are RITI, SICAR, BFPME, SOTUGAR, business incubators, etc.

- RITI : funds capital risks with public participation for the promotion of entrepreneurial activities in ICT. In order to encourage the creation of innovative enterprises in the field of ICT, young Tunisian promoters holding university degrees may have access to the System of Incentives for Innovation in the Field of Information Technologies (RITI) for new projects. The RITI's share can be up to 49% of the project's capital; the promoter's contribution should be at least 2% of the project's capital.

- Private capital risk funds for ICT: Investment companies with Capital Risks (SICAR)

- Bank financing of SMEs (BFPME)

- Guarantee funds (SOTUGAR)

- CapitalEase, managed by UGFS , is a seed fund. CapitalEase invests at an early stage in exchange of equity and convertible bonds.

- A 10-year national plan for technological parks

- Network of 42 business incubators (2017): an incubator for every technological higher education/educational institution. These business incubators are networked through the "Business Incubators Network in Tunisia". There are three kinds of Business Incubators operating in Tunisian Incubators promoted by academic institutions, incubators operating under "Convention API / Universities" and Incubators backed to technoparks.

- A network of 14 cyber parks

A new law called "StartupAct", adopted in April 2018 by the assembly of representatives of the Tunisian people, aims the promotion of Tunisian startups by opening new perspectives and a range of benefits. In particular, the law "start-up Act" will allow companies and young people to solve the issue of financing through the creation, in 2019, of the Fund of funds endowed with an amount of 500 million Tunisian dinars (MDT).

Support for Software Firms

Support for Software Firms includes:

- Legislation specific to stock options in favour of ICT companies

- Exemption of VAT on ICT training carried out by specialized companies

- Government subsidisation of 70% of the costs of certification of companies and competencies.

- Removal of the ceiling for travelling expenses abroad which are deductible from the wage bill subject to compliance with national insurance contributions

eGovernment Projects

Over the past decade, the Tunisian government has created a service portal for the benefit of citizens and businesses in various sectors, including health, finance, agriculture, education, transportation energy, etc. This portal contains more than 420 online services:. Some services include:

- Tuneps (www.tuneps.tn) is the national online public procurement management system. It ensures transparency, efficiency, equality of opportunity, efficiency and transaction security in the area of public procurement.

- E-jebaya (www.impots.finances.gov.tn) is a tax filing service. It allows taxpayers to pay their taxes online. It allows also to pay monthly tax returns as well as annual returns, among others, filing of corporation tax returns, declaration of advance due by partnerships and similar, declaration of the personal income tax, declaration of installment, etc.

- Tasrih (www.tasrih.tn): online declaration service of personal assets. This is an obligation for all citizens having a high fonction in the pubic sector, according to the law 46/2018 published on August 1, 2018 in relation with the declarations of the goods and the incomes, the struggle of the illicit enrichment and the conflict of interests in the public sector.

- E-Register (www.registre-commerce.tn) : online service to extract the business register for businesses and individuals. It also allows to consult the history of companies and merchants, access the legal information registered in the Central Trade Register, access the financial statements to check the financial health of customers, suppliers, and partners, and download the statutes and balance sheets of Tunisian companies.

- DigiCash is a mobile payment service downloadable from GooglePlay. It is a digital wallet backed by the e-Dinar service, which makes it possible to transfer money via mobile, instantaneously and securely, and to pay bills with the customer's digital wallet.

- Madrassati : a mobile service for the benefit of pupils and parents enabling them to follow the notes and the presence of their children in schools and colleges via SMS. In addition, it facilitates administrative operations such as the removal of general assessment bulletins, timetables and student certificates.