"Souk At-Tanmia" (development market ), an initiative launched last July by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to reduce unemployment in Tunisia's underprivileged areas, has pre-selected 300 candidates among youths willing to set up their own business.
Head of the Communication unit for "Souk At-Tanmia" within the bank Sonia Barbrya said "it is a pilot project intended to meet the needs of unemployed youths and open up underprivileged regions."
She added that the 300 pre-selected candidates will benefit from free training in "Business Entrepreneurship" by the British Council as of next October 7.
Afterwards, there will be a final selection of the best candidates, who will have in a second stage, the benefit of guidance throughout the whole year 2013 so that they might run their businesses at best.
"We have set as an objective to back up between 70 to 100 projects in 2013, whose financing ranges between 2000 and 30000 dinars in the form of donations," Mrs. Barbrya declared, adding that "as regards projects whose cost is over 30 000 dinars, they will be co-financed by BFPME (SMEs financing bank) and BTS (Tunisia's Solidarity Bank).
The funding of the remaining projects will be entrusted to Souk At-Tanmia's partners including sponsors and international financial institutions.
"Souk At-Tanmia" is the result of a pilot partnership between delegates of the pilot organisations, private enterprises and the civil society.
