The “Industry 4.0 to foster youth employment in Tunisia and Cote d’Ívoire” project was launched at the initiative of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
A concept note for its implementation was inked on Friday in Tunis, by Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Neila Nouira Gonji and Managing Director of the Directorate of Corporate Management and Operations at UNIDO Fatou Haidara.
The project is funded by means of €6 million by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The project seeks to support job creation in both countries, notably for young people and women.
Its aim is also to improve the competitiveness of industrial enterprises and their integration into value chains, in line with the national industrial and innovation strategy up to 2035.
“Emloyement4Youth,” which will run until December 2024, is expected to generate a total of 1,500 jobs, 1,300 of which will be in Tunisia, said UNIDO Tunis office project manager Rafik Feki.
It will also help 110 enterprises, including 85 Tunisian ones, to improve their performance and 700 Tunisian job seekers to enjoy better working conditions, he added.
The project will allow the setting up of an intelligent factory and the facilitation of partnerships between national and international enterprises, with an investment promotion approach, he explained.
Taking the floor, Neila Nouira Gonji underlined that the project will help support young people to engage in new opportunities by improving access to technology, skills and information on jobs and development prospects.
It seeks, she added, to initiate a structural shift in the industry in targeted sectors with high potential such as mechanics, textiles and agri-food.
The minister emphasised that her department is endeavouring, through this project, to contribute to the economic revival and to the development of the national industrial fabric, notably by enhancing the private sector’s role and encouraging public-private partnerships.
Fatou Haidara said for her part, that the Emloyement4Youth project will seek to ensure a solid environment to foster the development of Industry 4.0 based on the transfer of knowledge and expertise and to improve the skills of young people in using and exploiting the technologies of the future, adding that the smart factory that will be set up as part of this project, will provide a space for innovation.
It will represent “a flagship example of South-South cooperation,” which will boost the partnership between Tunisia and Côte d’Ivoire, the official considered.
Head of Economic Cooperation and Development at the German Embassy in Tunis Fritz Jung pointed out that it is necessary for Tunisia to integrate advanced technologies into its industry so that it can improve its competitiveness.
He further indicated that this project complements the Tunisian 4.0 initiative launched in 2018 with the support of the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), which has led to the creation of 2,000 jobs.
