Tunisia–Bissau: closer ties focused on economic exchanges
Tunis and Bissau have agreed to encourage trade and joint investment, whilst emphasising the implementation of existing bilateral agreements.
Tunisia and Guinea-Bissau intend to strengthen their cooperation in higher education, scientific research, vocational training and trade.
This commitment was expressed during a meeting between their foreign ministers on the fringes of the 52nd session of the Ministerial Council of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held on 17 and 18 October in Baghdad.
The Tunisian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Ali Nafti, and his Guinea-Bissau counterpart, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Communities, examined the prospects for developing bilateral relations. Discussions focused on ways to strengthen institutional exchanges and give new impetus to partnerships between the two countries.
In the academic sphere, the two officials emphasised the importance of increasing the exchange of expertise between educational institutions, promoting student mobility and facilitating access for students from Guinea-Bissau to Tunisian universities. The opportunities offered by scholarship programmes were also discussed, with the aim of supporting educational pathways and strengthening ties between academic institutions.
Economic cooperation was another key aspect of the discussions. The two ministers agreed to encourage trade and joint investment, whilst emphasising the implementation of existing bilateral agreements. They also called for greater participation by Tunisian and Guinea-Bissau economic operators in forums, trade fairs and meetings dedicated to trade and investment, in order to facilitate business-to-business contacts and raise awareness of business opportunities.
On this occasion, Mohamed Ali Nafti highlighted Tunisia’s efforts to attract African investment and develop partnerships between businesses across the continent. He emphasised the need to strengthen African economic integration and intra-African investment, complementing consultation between states within the African Union.
This meeting forms part of a drive to diversify Tunisia’s African partnerships. Whilst the directions outlined open up prospects in the sectors of training and trade, their realisation will depend in particular on the implementation of existing agreements, the identification of joint projects and the mobilisation of economic and academic stakeholders from both countries.
