A Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani in the Kasbah on Wednesday decided to establish a steering committee overseen by the Ministry of Economy and Planning, comprising all relevant ministries and organisations to further develop the national strategy for the promotion of small and medium enterprises. The meeting dedicated to considering the elements of the national strategy was attended by all the ministers or their representatives and the Governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT), according to a statement from the Prime Ministry. The Prime Minister recalled the pivotal role of SMEs in the national economy and the extent of the interest of all stakeholders in the state structures in the SME system by including it as a key element in the 2023-2025 development plan, taking into account all the challenges resulting from global transformations, especially economic ones. Secretary of State to the Minister of Economy and Planning in charge of SMEs, Samir Abdelhafidh, presented the main el ements of the national strategy for the promotion of SMEs and the participatory methodology adopted in its preparation. This strategy aims to make SMEs one of the main engines of growth, job creation and sustainable development. It is centered around institutional and legislative framework, access to market and competition, access to finance, access top financial resources, entrepreneurial culture and control, internationalisation and integration into global value chains and innovation and investment in innovative fields. The meeting ordered the submission of the updated version of the strategy to a ministerial council in the first week of August. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse