The strategic focus on Africa is a choice that will be underpinned through an integrated programme for the development of Ras Jedir border crossing, Trade and Export Development Minister Kalthoum Ben Rejab said on Monday. The border facility will serve as a trade gateway. The minister was speaking on the sidelines of an information day held to launch an electronic foreign trade portal. Efforts are underway to activate the national trade facilitation commission, she said, as part of commitments with the World Trade Organisation and other trading partners. “A dashboard will also be set up to monitor logistical and sales efficiency indicators in sea, air and land commercial border crossings,” she added. There is need to adapt to current challenges facing foreign trade which, Kalthoum Ben Rejab highlighted, ‘must be an engine for all economic activities.” It is also imperative to upgrade the performance of the private sector and embrace new technologies and digitisation to increase the transparency of transactions, ease the red tape and sharpen the competitive edge of businesses and the national economy. SOS Export service geared towards increasing the fluidity of export operations and supporting exporters fits within the implementation of the national emergency reform programme, the minister said. Tunisia is determined to enter into global and regional value chains, notably after joining Arab and African free trade zones.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse