The Minister of Operations announces a downturn in 70% of civil enterprises
Official statements before Parliament reveal that only 97 civil companies have actually entered the development of activity out of 325 companies created.
The Minister of Operations and Professional Formation Riyad Chowad announced to parliament that about 70% of Tunisian state-owned enterprises updated have not yet entered into actual activity.
The number of updated e-businesses reached 325 companies from 2023 to the end of August 2026. The statistics show that only 97 of them are actually active, while 228 others are not yet active, which means that the percentage of companies that are actually active is no more than 29.8% of the total number of companies updated.
Most start-ups face administrative and financial barriers that prevent them from becoming fully operational production units. Only less than a third of the projects have been able to complete the work and start production procedures, which highlights the path of activation of this type from accredited institutions in local development projects.
President Kais Saied had stressed during his meeting with the Minister of Operations on 2 October 2025 the importance of civil enterprises in development policies. Said stressed that this type of institution will allow young people to create wealth and contribute to the development of different regions, calling for the need to remove all obstacles to their establishment and actual activity. This figure comes more than four years after the issuance of the Organized Decree for Eligible Companies in March 2022. Despite the advertised stakes on this model to boost the local economy and create jobs, the reality of the registered numbers reflects continued field difficulties in turning legally registered companies into functioning and productive projects.