Invest in Gafsa: "New Tunisia, New Opportunities"

The Governorate of Gafsa is located in South-Western Tunisia, between the high steppes and the Sahara. Surrounded by five governorates and located at the centre of three economic regions, the town of Gafsa, one of Tunisia’s oldest cities, is a link between the country of cereals and the country of palm dates. The region is known essentially for its mining industry, with phosphate as the main product.

	Human resources
	The total population of the governorate of Gafsa is 336,200 (NSI 2009), with a high urbanization rate (73.7%) and a population density of 42.1 inhabitants/km2. The active labor force is mainly is employed in agriculture and fishing (14.5 %), industries (7.6 %), public works and construction (15.7 %), mining and energy (7.6 %), services (25.4 %) and the civil service (28.3 %). Gafsa’s university complex ranks third among southern governorates, after those of Sfax and Gabès, with 9 higher education institutions accommodating close on more than 15,950 students enrolled in science, economics, arts, technology and computer engineering: Faculty of Science Gafsa Higher Institute for Teacher Training Higher Institute of Studies Applied to Human Sciences Higher Institute for Technological Studies Higher Institute of Business Administration of Gafsa Higher Institute of Arts and Trades Higher Institute of Sciences and Energy Technology Higher Institute of Sports and Physical Education Gafsa Preparatory Engineering Institute This governorate has 2 public and 20 private vocational training centers, with a capacity of 4,985 students, offering a variety of courses in computer science, industrial electronics, commerce, precision mechanics, electricity and handicrafts.

	Infrastructure
	The Gafsa Governorate has a fairly modern basic infrastructure: a road network making of Gafsa a major crossroads linking it to many towns within Tunisia as well as in other North African countries. Gafsa is 90 km away from Tozeur, 350 km Tunis, 210 km from Sfax and 140 km from Algeria, a railway network of 388 km carrying passengers, equipment and goods. This network links Gafsa to Tunis via Gabès and Sfax, the Gafsa-Ksar international airport, with a passenger capacity of 200,000 per year, a modern telecommunications network, developed industrial estates, a remote work center, a Tunisian radio house.

	Major business activities
	The phosphate as its main wealth. This substance is extracted by the Gafsa Phosphate Company (Compagnie des Phosphates de Gafsa ) which plays a pioneering role in the development of its community by creating small and medium-sized businesses with financial assistance from the Fonds de Reconversion des Centres Miniers (Conversion Fund for Mining Districts). This company employs 6,000 people. Gafsa has 65 industrial enterprises (providing 10 jobs or more) of which 16 work wholly for export. In addition, there are 6 firms with foreign equity holdings (providing 10 jobs or more), operating in manufacturing industries. The abundance of water resources in the region (128.4 million m3: 5 632 shallow wells and 281 forages), has fostered the development of the agricultural sector mainly based on arboriculture. Indeed, it boast 106,377 hectares of fruit trees (olive, almond and pistachio), 16,796 ha of irrigated land and a livestock population of some 350,000 head of sheep, cattle, goats and camels.

	Investment opportunities
	The region offers various investment opportunities, in different sectors Agriculture New irrigated perimeters using water tapped from the Sidi Aïch dam. Introduction of ostrich breeding. New milk collection centers. Organic agriculture. Late season crops. Industry Promotion of livestock breeding by-products. Promotion of agricultural products. Upgrade farm products. Set up export projects in the mechanical, electrical, pharmaceutical and textile industries.

	Incentives granted
	Financial incentives for industry and related services Financial incentives for tourism

	Useful addresses
	ODS Authority for the Development of the South (Office du Développement du Sud) Immeuble- Ettanmia 4119 Medenine Tel : (216) 75 640 363 Fax : (216) 75 641 747 E-mail : odsud@mdci.gov.tn Web: www.ods.nat.tn (DRD) Gafsa Office for Regional Development (Direction Régionale de Développement) Siège de Gouvernorat 2100 Gafsa Tel : (216) 76 220 411 E-mail : drd.gafsa@mdci.gov.tn Office for Regional Development (Direction Régionale de Développement) Siège de Gouvernorat 2100 Gafsa Tel : (216) 76 220 411 Fax : (216) 76 220 411 E-mail : odsud@E.mail.ati.tn API Industrial Promotion Agency (Agence de Promotion de l’Industrie) 6 Rue Baghdad BP 214 2100 Gafsa Tel : (216) 76 228 818 Fax : (216) 76 221 535 E-mail : api@api.com.tn APIA Agricultural Investment Promotion Agency (Agence de Promotion des Investissements Agricoles) 8 Av Taieb M'hiri BP 371 2100 Gafsa Tel : (216) 76 220 706 Fax : (216) 76 220 706 E-mail : Prom.Agri@apia.com.tn UTICA Employers' Federation for Industry, Commerce and Crafts (Union Tunisienne de l’Industrie, du Commerce et de l’Artisanat) 15 Rue Assad Ibn El Hareth Gafsa Tel : (216) 76 420 406 Fax : (216) 76 422 884 SODIS Development and Investment Company for the South (Société de Développement et d’Investissement du Sud) Immeuble Ettanmia 4119 Medenine Tel : (216) 75 642 628

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