Improving Tunisia’s economy is a matter of political will

Tunisia needs to control it’s own energy sector. Working with foreign companies and foreign investment is fine but most of the money should be kept in Tunisia to benefit the Tunisian economy. Tourism needs to increase. Tunisia has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. To increase tourism Tunisia needs to improve sanitation, especially garbage collection…crack down on the Salafists and improve security….enforce traffic laws on the streets and improve public transportation…emphasize local Tunisian culture, cuisine, music, et cetera…open up the country and connect Tunisians with the rest of the world more…the stupid regulations preventing Tunisians from being able to purchase (and sell) directly online from foreign websites and the complex and sexist regulations making foreign travel difficult need to be changed…the development of the energy sector with strong emphasis on environmental and labor protections can generate tax revenue to pay for improved infrastructure and security and to redevelop and maintain parks and attractions. The most important issues are to keep Tunisia away from foreign debt as much as possible, ensure the tax revenue is spent on priorities like infrastructure, military, police, social welfare programs, sanitation, healthcare, education, and promotion of foreign tourism, and secularism and liberalism need to be emphasized not only politically but culturally.

A Country Skating on Thin Ice, Tunisia Chooses a New President: Little has been done to address the economic crisis in Tunisia other than to accept foreign loans with their usual austerity strings attached.