TAPping INTO opportunities in north west TUNISIA
From the figs of Djebba to the chetoui olive oil of Toukaber and the cherries of Rouhia, North West Tunisia is the country's fruit and vegetable basket. The region boasts a favourable climate and an abundance of water. It's also well positioned to reach Algeria, Europe and the capital enabling nearly 100 of the 333 existing SMEs in the region to export their produce.
Despite being such a productive agricultural area, the North West has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the country - with over 20.3% of the population without work, especially young graduates. Yet, a growing number of small business owners, including those supported by the Mashrou3i project, are promoting structural changes and tapping into the region's diverse opportunities.
PROMOTING THE HEALING POWER OF TABARKA'S PLANTS
After a successful career in bioscience at a major research laboratory in France, Chaker Slaymi decided to return to his homeland and launch an organic agriculture project. Passionate about his region and the healing properties of plants, Chaker set off to rediscover and revive Tunisia's sustainable cultivation of medicinal plants.
Mashrou3i helped me gain organic certification in my first year of business with the CCPB certification for Europe, and the following year with the USDA certification for America.
MASHrOu3i's TAILORED ASSISTANCE HELPS BUSINESSES ACCESS INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
Alongside deep dive business coaching, the Mashrou3i project is also dedicated to providing tailored support and technical assistance to young entrepreneurs. This includes helping businesses to grow through access to national and international markets. Based on the entrepreneurs' needs, Mashrou3i helps identify potential clients and export opportunities.
Market research is often the last thing entrepreneurs think about. Mashrou3i offers specific training in sales and marketing techniques, enabling entrepreneurs to lay the theoretical basis for their strategy. We wanted to give even more importance to market access for start-ups by putting it into practice. This is why we are now working on identifying potential markets and bringing customers and suppliers into direct contact, in close collaboration with a local and international trading consultancy firm. - Faicel Belaid, Mashrou3i's Regional Expert for the North West
TRIOMPH THUCCABOR OLIVE OIL GOES GLOBAL
Supported by Mashrou3i, Maher Ben Ismail, co-founder of Triomphe Thuccabor, is one of these entrepreneurs who has made great strides in accessing international markets. In 2020, Mashrou3i helped him gain a new client in Saudi Arabia enabling him to export over 20,000 bottles of his award winning organic olive oil. The project is also providing Maher Ben Ismail with expertise in the development of a new website for the business.
Learn more about his company in this success story video.
ADDING VALUE TO BEJA'S DIVERSE FRUITS
By launching Djo Benna, a fresh juice production unit in Thibar, Hechem Djebbi is promoting the region’s rich biodiversity and continuing the path of his ancestors. Today, Hechem's high quality juices are refreshing customers across the country.
Mashrou3i provided me with HACCP training to ensure my juices meet food safety standards. The project also enabled me to produce product labels and other promotional materials to raise awareness of my juice brand.
SMART DAIRY FARMING IN JENDOUBA
Hayfa Khalfaoui, a young computer engineer and agripreneur from Jendouba founded Lait Espoir - an innovative smart dairy farm in Tunisia. Mashrou3i provided Hayfa with workshops in marketing, finance and branding to support her in the development of a new smart farm app. She also received technical assistance from a cattle breeding expert to develop specific content for the app.
Recently Hayfa took part in the Leader's Summit organized by the United Nations Global Compact on the 16th of June. Alongside Mr. Li Yong, Director General of UNIDO, and Elisabeth Moreno, Vice President of HP Africa, Hayfa joined a panel discussion on "Innovative recovery from COVID-19: the power of public-private collaboration.”
In Tunisia, we have seen that the COVID-19 has pushed forward digitalization in a tremendous way. I believe that there are many opportunities and young people should invest and take the lead in digitalization.
ABOUT MASHROU3I
Mashrou3i (‘my project’ in Arabic) is a joint project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), the HP Foundation and UNIDO. Mashrou3i fosters youth entrepreneurship in Tunisia and supports the creation and growth of enterprises. The project combines UNIDO’s on-the-ground experience supporting beneficiaries in the creation and growth of small businesses, its working relationships with Tunisian partner organizations and HP’s Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs (HP LIFE) programme, which consists of free online courses covering basic business, IT and entrepreneurship skills.
Credits:
UNIDO