The African Development Bank, in collaboration with Tunisia’s Ministry of Economy and Planning, organized a national procurement workshop in Tunis to strengthen the implementation of Bank-financed projects and improve their overall development impact. The training was held on 30–31 March and forms part of the Bank’s 2025–2026 Portfolio Performance Improvement Plan, which seeks to address persistent challenges affecting project execution in the country.
The workshop was designed in response to a shared assessment of the main obstacles slowing project implementation. These challenges include limited familiarity with the Bank’s procurement procedures, weaknesses in procurement planning and contract management, and the delays these issues create in disbursements and project delivery. By addressing these bottlenecks, the initiative aims to improve both the speed and quality of implementation.
Participants included representatives from project implementation units, executing agencies, sector ministries, and other national stakeholders involved in public procurement, including the High Authority for Public Procurement. The training focused on strengthening knowledge of the African Development Bank’s procurement guidelines, sharing good practices, and identifying practical solutions to challenges commonly faced during implementation.
Tarek Bouhlel, Director General for African Cooperation at Tunisia’s Ministry of Economy and Planning, welcomed the workshop as the second capacity-building session for project implementation units since the start of the year. He emphasized the important role these units play in advancing national development and noted that Tunisia, with the support of the African Development Bank, will continue strengthening this process through the rollout of the INJEZ and SIMEP applications and additional targeted training sessions to meet the objectives of the Portfolio Performance Improvement Plan.
The training covered the full procurement cycle, including planning, procurement of works and goods, consultant selection, contract management, handling amendments, price revision, and risk management. Practical case studies were also used to improve the quality of procurement files submitted to the Bank. In addition, the workshop created an opportunity for dialogue on Tunisia’s evolving regulatory framework and ongoing reforms in the national public procurement system.
According to Ahmad Yasser, Operations Manager at the African Development Bank for North Africa, the workshop is intended to improve the efficiency of project and programme implementation by ensuring a better understanding of rules and procedures on both the Bank’s and the country’s side. He explained that the initiative should help reduce the time needed to process procurement files, improve their quality, minimize complaints, and strengthen coordination between the Bank and national oversight institutions.
Through this effort, the African Development Bank aims to support faster, more transparent, and more rigorous delivery of the projects it finances in Tunisia, particularly in sectors such as infrastructure, water, energy, agriculture, and social development. Strengthening procurement capacity is expected to improve disbursement rates, ensure better use of resources, and enhance the overall effectiveness of public investment.
