Tunisia drops in global startup ranking but strengthens African position

Tunisia's startup ecosystem has seen a mixed performance in the latest "Global Startup Ecosystem Index" by StartupBlink, dropping two places globally to 84th. However, the country maintains a strong regional position, advancing to sixth place in Africa.

The report highlights Tunisia's advantages, including a large pool of qualified young graduates, increasing technological expertise, and competitive development costs. These factors are driving innovation in strategic sectors like artificial intelligence, data exploitation, life sciences, and the maritime economy. Supportive institutional frameworks, such as the "Startup Act" and the "Anava" fund, also play a crucial role in facilitating early-stage financing.

Despite these strengths, Tunisia faces challenges in scaling its startups. The ecosystem lacks a significant number of companies capable of rapid international growth, a weakness attributed partly to the emigration of highly qualified professionals to markets offering higher salaries, particularly in Europe and the Gulf states. Economic and regulatory uncertainties, coupled with foreign exchange constraints, further deter foreign investment.

The findings indicate that Tunisia possesses substantial entrepreneurial potential and recognized innovative capacity. However, consolidating this ecosystem requires improvements in the business environment, greater access to growth financing, and enhanced integration into international markets. Without these advancements, individual successes may remain isolated rather than driving sustainable economic transformation.