Tunisia - Operationalizing Public Private Partnership in Tunisia

The public-private partnership (PPP) currently being implemented in Tunisia is designed to enable the government to take better advantage of private sector financing and the development of economic and social infrastructure projects. This project addresses many challenges through an integrated approach that will address 1) the definition of the policy and institutional framework, 2) the establishment of a PPP unit, 3) the development of internal capacity, 4) the identification and preparation of PPP Pilot Projects, 5) the implementation of a consultation and communication strategy and 6) the management of the programme. It will be structured in two phases. The first phase, the subject of the present intervention, will last for a period of approximately two years. The next phase will depend on the success of the first phase and will focus mainly on the identification and preparation of additional pilot projects. At the end of the full project, it is expected that the operationalization of the public-private partnership in Tunisia will lead to: (i) creation of a PPP unit with adequate staff, operational manuals in place and PPP tools developed; (ii) existence of a coherent capital investment framework; (iii) existence of prudent links between PPPs and the annual budget process; (iv) number of PPP projects identified and prepared; (v) number of bids launched by the PPP Unit to select a private partner; (vi) volume of private sector investment is overburdened; (vii) number of staff in other ministries trained in PPPs; and (viii) number of road shows organized to market Tunisian PPPs.