QFFD expands its efforts to support thousands of youth in Tunisia to ensure they have a successful future ahead.

Qatar Fund for Development [QFFD] is set to provide around 100,000 job opportunities for Tunisian youth by the end of this year, the institution has announced.

Until now, the organisation has supported the creation of 72,866 direct and indirect jobs for the future entrepreneurs in the North African country, successfully achieving half of its aimed goal mid-year.

The success of the project so far can be attributed to the efforts of the organisation and its seven partners—all of whom have provided immense support to the youth by implementing programmes focused on improving access to finance and increasing capacity building.

Additionally, the fund provided small and microfinance loans as well as an integrated technology hub for financial support to empower entrepreneurs, the institution said in a statement.

This aims to help them build a stronger career for themselves and enable them to have a sustainable future, in addition to enhancing youth empowerment in entrepreneurship projects. Through this, QFFD highlighted, economic independence can be pursued in the future.

The project is highly significant given the high unemployment rate of the youth population and the financial gap to support technologies, which indicate a lack of support for creative young minds.

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Less than a decade ago, unemployment rates, especially for youth and fresh graduates, spiked in Tunisia following the 2011 Arab Spring revolution. To help eliminate the issue, QFFD provided a $97 million fund for economic development through entrepreneurship and technology.

Hundreds of people have benefited from the organisations’s efforts, including Naima Jebali who worked in market gardening and beekeeping.

“I carried out a study for the creation of an agricultural project in the rural area of El Fahs. I started my project with fairly simple means, but now thanks to my olive tree market gardening activity which marked my beginnings, my project has been twice rewarded with medals and trophies, being elected best totally organic virgin olive oil without additives in the twenty-four governorates of Tunisia,” she said.

However, Naima was not the only one who proved the project’s success.

Mariem Aliét, another beneficiary, opened a well-equipped coffee shop through the fund.  The shop offers a modern service to the local community and generates jobs for people in the country.

Qatar-Tunisia relations

Qatar and Tunisia hold strong bilateral ties and share over 80 agreements and memoranda in various fields, including telecommunications, banking and tourism.

In 2016, Sheikh Tamim allocated $1.25 billion in support of Tunis’ economy prior to the Tunisia 2020″ international investment conference.

Qatari exports to Tunisia have also increased almost six times over the past decade, while Tunisian exports to Qatar rose tenfold during the same period.

This week, Tunisian Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Interior Hichem Mechichi made a visit to Qatar and held meetings described as “successful by all standards”.

Mechichi and his delegation met with Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Monday to discuss relations between the two countries.

Shortly after, he met with Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani shortly as well as officials from the Qatar Investment Authority.

“I express my happiness and pride in this successful visit. Our visits as Tunisian officials have always been a source of comfort and pride,” the Tunisian official told Qatar News Agency [QNA] on Monday, at the end of his visit to the Gulf state.