Bank of Valletta recently organised a business visit to the Carthage Investment Forum in Tunisia. This forum was organised by Tunisian Ministry of Development and International Cooperation and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency. A group of Maltese entrepreneurs participated in this forum. This was an opportunity for them to get first hand experience on the investment environment in Tunisia and the business opportunities available to investors.

The Maltese delegation, consisting of representatives from 17 local companies was led by Julian Holland, manager of Bank of Valletta’s business development department and Robert Darmanin, manager of Bank of Valletta’s, Tunis Representative Office.

The objectives of the forum were to provide information about Tunisia’s economic performance and its foreign investment trends. It also provided insights on large projects planned for the coming years in Tunisia, and on investment opportunities available in various fields. Foreign companies already operating in Tunisia provided information on the quality of the Tunisian business environment and their experiences while operating in the Tunisian market.

Sector-specific workshops were led by senior officials from the Tunisian administration. These focused on industries such as electric, electronic, mechanical, automotive components, information technologies, agriculture, food, packaging, pharmaceuticals, plastic, rubber, chemicals, textiles, garments, leather, shoes and tourism. The workshops provided a platform for the Maltese delegation to establish new business links with Tunisia.

A series of one-to-one business meetings between the Maltese entrepreneurs and Tunisian companies operating within their sector were organized by BOV’s Tunisia Representative Office. The Maltese delegation paid a courtesy visit to the Maltese Embassy in Tunis and met H.E. Mr Ives de Barro, Ambassador for Tunisia. The delegates also visited BOV’s Representative Office in Tunis .

Information about the Tunisian markets can be obtained through Bank of Valletta’s Business Development Department on 21313119/21342581 or by email on [email protected].