Tunisian Minister announces future plan of reforming transport sector by 2040

Tunisia has contemplated to fund out a gargantuan fund of USD 22 billion in its transportation sector in the next ten years.

The Tunisian Minister of Transport, Hichem Ben Ahmed has made the announcement recently in the capital city, Tunis while presenting a study on a national master plan for transport by 2040 that includes projects estimated at 67 billion dinars (USD 22.15 billion), including 13.8 billion dinars (USD 4.5 billion) dedicated to the maintenance of existing infrastructure. According to him, this huge investment will reform the transport sector.

"Priority has been given to rail transport, which has been devoted to 19 projects costing 28 billion dinars ($ 9.25 billion)," Tunisia's transport minister Hichem Ben Ahmed opined at a press briefing on May 2 on the main lines of this study. The study also proposes the realization of 18 road projects, 6 port projects and 4 airport projects.

Hichem Ben Ahmed said in this context that the transport sector should play, in accordance with the guidelines of this study, the role of tool for economic and social development at the national level. According to him, the 2040 vision for the target sector of road and highway, rail, air and port networks, ensures "efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability", as reported by Xinhua.

A national dialogue will be organized on 3 May 2019 in the presence of the Head of Government, Youssef Chahed, "to discuss and identify in a participatory way solutions to the many problems and difficulties faced by citizens because of dysfunctions and poor services of some modes of transport".

It should be noted that the study of the National Transport Master Plan for 2040 in Tunisia was carried out through a grant co-financing granted by the African Development Bank Group.