Nigerian roadshow kicks off in Tunisia

By Okorie Uguru

A group of businesses have held a roadshow in Tunis, the Tunisian capital, to introduce the Nigerian market to Tunisian companies and highlight the business and partnership opportunities with Nigeria.

The roadshow, dedicated to Nigeria, was kicked off last Monday in Tunis and continued in Monastir (February 25) and Sfax (February 26). According to the chief executive officer of the Export Promotion Centre (CEPEX) CEO, Youssef Neji, the organisers, the roadshow, which is composed of 15 representatives of Nigerian companies, is now in Tunisia to identify business opportunities in some  sectors of activity, namely tourism, agro-food, construction, ICT, building materials and health.

Neji pointed out that the volume of Tunisian-Nigerian trade remains low and below the potential that exists between the two countries, specifying that trade between Tunisia and Nigeria was worth only 29 million dinars (MD) in 2019.

Tunisia’s exports to Nigeria are mainly composed of gypsum (with a 75 per cent share of the total exported), resins, triphosphate and flour. These products contributed to the growth of Tunisian exports to the Nigerian market by nearly 42 per cent to reach 25.8 MD.

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Neji said that the exportable offer, on both sides, is much broader and can include manufactured products such as electrical industries, food processing, construction materials, pharmaceuticals as well as services, such as TIC, medical tourism, higher education and vocational training.

“Tunisia is increasingly oriented towards Africa and is intensifying its efforts to step up and develop its trade with this continent and strengthen its African integration,” he indicated.

He added that this finds expression in the Tunisian government’s strong determination to conclude the agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECAF), join the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and obtain the observer status at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in which Nigeria plays a leading role.