Tunisia's Sfax Metro Project Not Abandoned, Government Affirms Priority Status

Tunisia's government has moved to quell speculation surrounding the Sfax metro project, affirming its continued status as a state priority. Idriss Mnejja, head of a government technical committee, stated that the project is not abandoned, responding to questions from lawmaker Fatma Mseddi. Mseddi had noted the project's absence from a list of "troubled" projects, despite its inclusion in public budgets for 2025 and 2026.

Mnejja explained that the previous government response was limited to projects facing identified blockages, not all programmed initiatives in the Sfax governorate. He emphasized that the Sfax metro, a significant public transport project, is crucial for transforming urban mobility in the southern economic hub. Its aim is to ease traffic congestion, improve citizen commutes, and support the region's economic development.

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The project of the collective transport network in its own right in Sfax, commonly known as the 'Sfax metro,' constitutes a structuring national project, intended to profoundly transform urban mobility in the economic capital of southern Tunisia.

Despite progress in preliminary studies and financial arrangements, including land acquisition and utility relocation, the project's actual construction start remains stalled. Persistent administrative and land-related issues, such as finalizing land expropriation and preparing tender documents, are the primary obstacles. These challenges have led to recurring criticism regarding the project's slow pace.

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This absence does not mean abandonment or sidelining of the project, but is explained by the limited scope of the previous response, which concerned only projects facing identified blockages, and not all projects programmed in the governorate of Sfax.