Tunis – President of the Republic Kais Saied welcomed the African Export-Import Bank’s (Afreximbank) plan to open a regional office in Tunisia, noting that this initiative will help create momentum in the Tunisian financial sector by increasing the volume of financing available to local institutions. This came during his meeting, on Tuesday, at Carthage Palace with George Elombi, the bank’s newly appointed President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, who is on a two-day working visit to Tunisia on November 25 and 26, 2025.

According to a statement from the Presidency, the Head of State praised the level of strategic partnership between Tunisia and Afreximbank, highlighting the bank’s key role in providing financial resources on favorable terms to support the state budget and fund a number of key economic projects. He also underscored the bank’s role across Africa in promoting and developing intra-African trade.

The President emphasized that Afreximbank is a fundamental partner for Tunisia in both the public and private sectors in addressing various economic and financial challenges, welcoming the bank’s commitment to supporting major infrastructure projects and other key sectors.

Following the meeting, the new Afreximbank President said the thorough discussions with the Head of State focused primarily on a range of economic issues affecting both public and private sectors. He specifically mentioned the extension of the Tunis-Carthage Airport and the financial support the bank could provide for the construction of a deep-water port. He also announced the possibility of significant financial support for the Gafsa Phosphate Company (CPG) and the Tunisian Chemical Group (GCT).

He further noted that the meeting covered Afreximbank’s support for the Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas (STEG) and the Tunisian Refining Industries Company (STIR), as well as the electricity interconnection project linking Libya, Algeria, and Tunisia. He stated that a 70-kilometer section of this project within Tunisia remains incomplete, expressing the bank’s full readiness to provide financial support for its rapid completion.

Elombi expressed hope that the project will deliver 400 kilowatts, according to the studies prepared.

The meeting was attended by the Governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT), Fethi Zouhair Nouri.

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