Anonymous identification of “gazelles” in Tunisia for coproduction
Created from the partnership with the Tunisian Ministry of Development, Investment and International Cooperation (MDICI) and the National Statistics Agency (INS), and with the participation of the Tunisian Institute of Competitiveness and Quantitative Studies (ITCEQ), the report “Anonymous identification of “gazelles” in Tunisia for coproduction” is a continuation of a series of work initiated by IPEMED and its partners in the framework of the Coproduction Observatory in the Mediterranean and the programme dedicated to the industrialisation of North Africa.
The coproduction concept, that IPEMED has been supporting for several years, focuses on the following principles: ceasing to consider Southern companies as mere subcontractors, but rather as partners ; upgrading them by sharing know-how and the value chain between Northern and Southern partner businesses; that is to say helping Southern companies (and especially SMBs) to improve their position in global as well as regional value chains; becoming competitive (again) together in the regional market (Africa-Med-Europa - AME) and subsequently in the global market and (re)gaining market shares ; adhering to the principle of economic, social and environmental responsibility. This would also enable job creation in the North and the South of the Mediterranean alike.
In this light, the present report offers, based on the available data, an anonymous selection of high-potential onshore Tunisian SMBs called “gazelles” that, given their performances, could benefit from a coproduction approach with European companies. In total, more than 240 Tunisian “gazelles” were anonymously and objectively identified over the 2008-2015 period. They could benefit from a coproduction policy in the industry.
Thanks to the findings of the research, the authors of the report, J.-L. Reiffers, S. Mouley, S. Ivanov, C. Laî Tong and V. Roger, have formed several ideas on how to expand the study as well as recommendations that could be implemented by the Tunisian government, and in particular the MDICI, in partnership with IPEMED, in the framework of a national coproduction policy with European companies. A meeting took place on 11 December 2018 in Tunis in order to present the findings, and the participants took the opportunity to confirm the relevance of such an approach.