The Tunisian ministers of Local Affairs and Environment and Vocational Training and Employment signed agreements to launch the Green Startup project providing for the creation of 93 projects in the field of green economy and sustainable development, with an overall investment of 6.5 million dinars ($2.83 million).
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A call for candidates will therefore be launched for unemployed university graduates to steer these projects that will generate 472 jobs in different regions of the country.
Green Startup which is part of the programme "a new generation of entrepreneurs”, is committed to bringing young graduates with an idea ready for the establishment of an ambitious project, but also financial support, the necessary supervision and support, as well as contracts for the realisation of projects for public structures, during a period of three years", Minister of Vocational Training and Employment Imed Hammami said at a press conference held on the occasion.
After three years, the entrepreneur has to rely on himself and benefit from the expertise and experience of national organisations (UTICA, IACE, CJD ...), to set off alone on capturing new markets at the national or foreign levels.
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Speaking of the programme "a new generation of entrepreneurs”, Hammami recalled that it started in 2016 through a pilot phase in partnership with the Ministry of Public Works (creation of 92 projects in the field of micro entrepreneurship), and that it will continue and be extended to other ministries, including the Department of Culture and the Ministry of Youth and Sport. A budget of 25 million dinars was mobilised under this programme, for the year 2017.
Riadh Mouakhar, Minister of Local Affairs and Environment, said these 93 projects will focus on two main activities: maintenance of sanitation facilities and green spaces (53 projects), and agriculture (40 projects).
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In this context, he considered that the green economy is today one of the pillars of job creation worldwide.
According to him, the main contribution of this programme is to encourage the sponsorship of young entrepreneurs, especially in terms of technical assistance and supervision, with the support of UTICA, IACE and CJD.
He also assured that the process of selecting candidates for the steering of these projects will be carried out in total transparency, in the presence of representatives of civil society, such as Al Bawsala and the Union of Unemployed Graduates.
