Tunisia Prioritizes Reform of Public Institutions

The Tunisian government has made it a current priority to reform all public institutions without exceptions, the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) reported on Thursday.

“The reform program presented by Tunisia to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) depends on an approach based on the government’s study of the state of public institutions, case by case,” government spokesman Nasreddine Nsibi was quoted as saying.

“After this study, a set of practical proposals will be decided,” Nsibi added, stressing “the need to study the status of each institution, with regard to its specificity, the capacities it requires and the reform project.”

The government had also asked each institution to present its reform plan with the possibilities to save it, and the file is one of the most urgent priorities of the government during the next stage.

In mid-October, Tunisia and the IMF reached a staff-level agreement to support the country’s economic policies with a 48-month arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of about 1.9 billion U.S. dollars.

The final agreement on the arrangement is subject to the approval of the IMF’s Executive Board, which is scheduled to discuss Tunisia’s request in December, an IMF statement was quoted as saying.

The loan is expected to support the Tunisian government’s economic reform by restoring the country’s external and fiscal stability, enhancing social protection, promoting higher, greener and inclusive growth, as well as creating private sector-led jobs.