Tunisia Roundup: Drug cases triple, 10,000 students face housing squeeze and businesses target African expansion

Tunisia launches five-year drive to help businesses expand across Africa

The Tunisia Africa Business Council (TABC) has unveiled a five-year programme designed to give Tunisian companies a more structured route into African markets, with plans to create sector-specific business consortiums and strengthen the country’s commercial presence across the continent. The 2025–2030 programme was presented in Tunis on September 12, 2026, as TABC outlined a strategy focused on helping Tunisian businesses move beyond isolated export initiatives towards longer-term operations and partnerships in African markets. A central part of the programme is the creation of sectoral consortiums, bringing together Tunisian companies operating in complementary industries so they can approach African markets collectively rather than individually. The approach is intended to make it easier for businesses to share market knowledge, reduce the costs associated with expansion and compete for larger projects.

Nearly 10,000 students could miss out on university housing in 2026/27

Nearly 10,000 Tunisian students could be left without public university accommodation during the 2026/27 academic year because the number of available beds is not keeping pace with demand. Mohamed Ouled Mohamed, secretary-general of the General Union of Tunisian Students (UGET), raised the warning during an appearance on Diwan FM on September 12. He said accommodation managed by Tunisia's university-services offices does not have enough capacity to meet all applications. The shortage goes beyond the raw number of beds. Ouled Mohamed pointed to deteriorating infrastructure and overcrowding in existing residences and called for students facing difficult social circumstances to be given greater access to exceptional university accommodation. He also questioned how residences are geographically distributed, arguing that accommodation should be located closer to universities to reduce travel difficulties and improve students' living conditions. One proposal is to establish new university towns in less densely populated areas, expanding capacity while reducing pressure on existing residences.

Drug cases triple in five years as Tunisia reviews narcotics laws

The number of drug-related cases recorded in Tunisia has tripled in five years, rising from more than 5,000 cases in 2020 to over 15,000 in 2025, according to the Interior Ministry. Mohamed Ali Chaïbi, a representative of the ministry, disclosed the figures in comments to Tunisian national television reported on September 12. Chaïbi said the increase has more than one explanation. Part of it reflects intensified security operations and a greater number of drug seizures, meaning authorities are detecting more offences. But he said it also reflects a genuine worsening of the drug problem and changes in the criminal activity associated with narcotics. The ministry is now working on revisions to Tunisia's drug legislation to adapt the legal framework to changes in drug-related crime. Chaïbi also argued that law enforcement alone cannot address the problem. Tunisia needs specialised facilities for treating addiction, he said, making treatment and rehabilitation another part of the country's response.

Tunisia urges UN members to strengthen recovery of stolen assets

Tunisia has renewed its call for countries holding stolen and illicitly acquired assets to return the money to developing states, arguing that recovering those funds could finance development and reduce dependence on debt. Tunisia's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva appealed for a round-table discussion on the right to development at the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council on September 11. Tunisia specifically called on countries where stolen or illicit funds are held to improve mechanisms for returning the assets to the developing countries from which they originated. It argues that money recovered in this way could be invested in development projects, poverty reduction and public services instead of forcing poorer countries to borrow additional funds. The intervention came as the international community marks the 40th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development. Tunisia called for the international community to treat development as a fundamental right and backed adoption of an International Covenant on the Right to Development that would make the principle legally binding.

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Tunisia opens passport production unit at its embassy in Belgrade

Tunisia's embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, is opening a machine-readable passport production unit on September 14, allowing passport applications from Tunisians living within its consular jurisdiction to be processed locally. The unit has been installed within the embassy's consular section and will produce MRPs, or machine-readable passports, according to an announcement reported by Tunisia's TAP news agency on September 12. Its launch means eligible Tunisians served by the embassy will have access to passport-production services through the diplomatic mission rather than relying entirely on processing elsewhere. Machine-readable passports contain identity information formatted so it can be electronically read by border-control systems. The technology is standard in modern international travel documents and is governed by specifications established by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The move forms part of Tunisia's provision of administrative and consular services to citizens abroad. By installing passport-production capacity directly in Belgrade, authorities are bringing an essential identity-document service closer to Tunisian nationals living in Serbia and other areas covered by the embassy. The unit officially enters service on Monday, September 14, 2026.