Data from the Central Bank of Tunisia showed, today, Thursday, that remittances from Tunisians working abroad increased by 5.5% in the first half of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022, to reach 3.9 billion Tunisian dinars ($1.26 billion).
Data from the Central Bank of Tunisia showed that tourism revenues in the country jumped 60.3% to reach 1.18 billion dinars ($389 million) as of April 20, 2023.
The statement added that workers’ remittances increased by 7.3% to 2.339 billion dinars, compared to 2.093 billion dinars on April 20, 2022.
It is worth noting that the Governor of the Central Bank, Marwan Al-Abbasi, said that Tunisia is working with the International Monetary Fund on a fair economic reform program that takes into account the neediest groups.
Abbasi’s statements confirm a Reuters report this month, quoting a senior government official, that Tunisia is preparing an alternative proposal for the IMF that takes into account the vulnerable groups, after President Kais Saied rejected what he described as the fund’s dictates.
The Tunisian presidency had announced that President Kais Said had informed the Director-General of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, that the Fund’s conditions for providing financial support to his country threatened to spark civil unrest.
A statement issued by the presidency said that President Saied made it clear that “the prescriptions of the International Monetary Fund to provide financial support to Tunisia are unacceptable because it will affect civil peace, which has no price.”
Talks about the financial rescue plan have stalled since October, when Tunisia and the International Monetary Fund reached an experts agreement, as Saeed later expressed his categorical rejection of the idea of reducing subsidies, saying that this could cause major social tensions and harm civil peace in the country.
