Twinning Tunisia. Formez Training Activities for Supporting the Establishment of International Partnerships

From February 20 to 28 2009 in Tunis, Siliana and Médenine, two Formez experts carried out a training workshop under component B of the Twinning project with Tunisia on “Institutional Building of Regional Development Agencies for the Promotion of Private Investment”. Component B implies actions for the support to the establishment of partnerships between the ODR and the Tunisian institutions of support to the private sector.
The training activity aimed at outlining the tools available for international partner search. Formez experts described the role of the potential partners under the projects and the key websites containing databanks for partner search including that available on the English website of Formez.
Particular attention was paid to the presentation of the project proposals already financed by Community programmes in the sector of thermal tourism, bed and breakfasts and alternative tourism, topics of central interest for the Tunisian Regional Development Bodies.
Each training day concluded with a practical workshop during which the participants divided into two work groups, had to simulate a presentation of their entity, thus trying to identify strengths and weaknesses of the territory and the sectors of interest for submitting the projects to be funded through Community funds.
In the training activity, the staff from the Direction General for Regional Development – Ministry of Development and International Cooperation, the General Commissioner for Regional Development (CGDR) and the Regional Development Bodies for North-East (ODNO) and South (ODS), took part.
The ultimate goal of the Twinning project with Tunisia is to increase the contribution of the private sector toward undertaking the effort of regional development as well as improving global competitiveness of the economy through the following:

• Institutional capacity building of the Regional Development Bodies and their role on regional development and promotion of the local partnerships
• Enhancement of the Regional Development Bodies management methods and know-how on the macro-economic aspects related to the promotion of private investments
• Promotion of the online partnership and organization of the Regional Development Bodies in order to facilitate communication, treatment and dissemination of the information at regional level