Tunisia emerges as car parts manufacturer in Africa and in the Arab world
Tunis , June 18, 2007- (TunisiaOnline)--Even though the country does not manufacture cars, Tunisia is currently one of the leading car parts manufacturers in Africa and in the Arab world with some 200 enterprizes and a workforce of 43,500 people involved in this sector of the economy.
134 of those companies have been set up in partnership with multinational firms. In 1999, there were only 44 such firms in the country.
Another related branch that is currently witnessing a major expansion is that of car assembly. There are 4 such enterprises in Tunisia employing some 1350 skilled technicians and involved in setting up trucks, lorries and buses with an increasing demand for such skills as bodywork and casing.
However, Tunisia is also an important car market with an increasing number of vehicles in circulation. It is estimated that there are currently about 1, 2 million vehicles on Tunisia 's roads, including some 700,000 private vehicles, representing 58% of the country's total automobile park.
Every year some 50,000 cars make their appearance on the Tunisian market, most which are European brand names.
The average car per citizen ratio has increased from 94 cars for one thousand inhabitants in 2005, to 98 cars for one thousand inhabitants in 2006.
Tunisia
ranking in recent World Reports