Tunisia has secured a €78.8 million (approximately TND 261.2 million) donation from the German Development Bank (KfW) on behalf of the German Federal Government, reports TAP, Agence Tunis Afrique Presse. The funding aims to support initiatives to enhance rural drinking water supply, promote renewable energy projects, and improve public financial management through better traceability, efficiency, and transparency.
The agreements were formalized during a signing ceremony on Wednesday between Tunisia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration, and Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Ali Nafti, and KfW Management Committee member Andrea Hauser. This initiative is part of the longstanding bilateral cooperation between Tunisia and Germany, as highlighted in a press release from KfW.
Advancing rural access to drinking water
A significant portion of the donation, €27 million, will go to Tunisia’s Société Nationale d'Exploitation et de Distribution des Eaux (SONEDE) to improve rural drinking water supply in the Beja governorate. This funding builds on earlier investments that connected approximately 32,000 people to a safe and reliable drinking water network for the first time. The new phase is expected to extend this access to an additional 45,000 residents. Alongside contributions from German financial cooperation and the Tunisian government, the project may also benefit from supplementary support from the European Union.
Strengthening water management systems
The Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries will receive €1.3 million to conduct geological, geotechnical, and engineering studies for a water transfer system linking the Barbara and BouHertma dams. This project is part of a broader program aimed at enhancing water storage, transfer, and flood protection infrastructure.
