Tunisia 

may be one of the locations that offers good investment

opportunities.

Yet the northern African country is often overlooked by companies

seeking access to multiple markets in Europe, Africa and Asia
because of perceived high-security risks in the region.

Former police state

Tunisia remained politically closed as a police state prior to the 2011
Jasmine Revolution that ended the Ben Ali dictatorship. Bordering
Algeria and Libya, Tunisia is often seen in the same light as other
countries in Middle East and North African region, known as MENA,
which are reputed to be some of the most repressive and volatile in
the world.

A media predilection for sensationalized and tragic stories ensures

that dramatic events become the most widely known facts about the
country. That has made it difficult for some investors to overlook or
forget the 2015 attack that targeted tourists and killed 38 people, the
deadliest non-state terrorist attack in Tunisian history.

Not surprisingly, outsiders tend to perceive Tunisia’s risks as

comparable to those of its neighbours, especially the civil war-ridden
Libya that poses security risks to Tunisia. However, the perceptions
of those actually conducting business in Tunisia are drastically
different. For them, Tunisia is a low-risk business environment,
despite increased political uncertainty and some political violence
episodes since the revolution.

Viol
ence against civilians in Tunisia in relation to other MENA countries, 2000-2019. The Armed Conflict
Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) data with authors' figures
These insiders generally agree that overall security in Tunisia has
substantially increased since 2015, and political violence risks are
low. The outsiders’ assessment glosses over the reality that
Tunisia does better than its neighbours on effective counter-terrorism
measures, and there’s also a relatively low level of religious
extremism in Tunisian society.

Security upgrades
Since then, Tunisian hotels have been required to upgrade their
security to meet new national and international standards. In
contrast to the tourism industry, these attacks had less of an impact
on manufacturers and agricultural producers.

Since 2015, Tunisia has successfully eased security and safety

concerns due to a combination of the government’s immediate
responses to security threats, its new long-term security policy,
security intergovernmental partnerships as well as the short-lived
nature of politically disruptive events. By the summer of 2019, the
managers we interviewed were almost unanimous in their feelings of
safety.

Nonetheless, it’s not all rosy. There have been suicide

attacks targeting security forces in Tunis, the most recent one near
the United States embassy. That shows threats may be significantly
reduced but they haven’t been eliminated entirely in Tunisia, a trend
similar to other countries.

But the respondents to our study still have a valid point about safety:
“Definitely, Tunisia is much better security-wise than Mexico.
Terrorism is not a problem today.”

In contrast to Mexico, our respondents’ companies have never

needed security guards for transportation in Tunisia, even during the
revolution, and they reported that security expenses at their
operations have always been low.

The second point, which is important, Tunisia is also—have the same

religion. Ninety-nine percent of Tunisians are Muslim and
Sunni. This is the second point.

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
The awareness on Malaysia and Malaysian products is low as we do
not have a direct representative here. However, lots of opportunities
are available, especially in sectors involving processed food, medical
equipments and supplies, pharmaceuticals products and building
materials. It is strongly advised for Malaysian companies to visit
Tunisia prior to entering into a business relationship with local
partners.

TIPS ON DOING BUSINESS IN TUNISIA

Business etiquette in Tunisia is reminiscent of Arab customs. It is,
however, one of the more liberal and tolerant Muslim countries.
Dress smart and conservatively always. A suit and tie is appropriate
for men; a suit for women. Be respectful of the culture and religious
customs. Avoid making business appointments during the month of
Ramadan. Tunisians are courteous people. Regular visits and
personal contact are essential to maintain and strengthen business
relationships. Reconfirm appointments in advance and allow ample
time between meetings. Be punctual. Businessmen generally speak
Arabic or French, so have an experienced interpreter on hand. Shake
hands when entering and leaving meetings. If you are invited to
someone’s home, bring a gift as a token of appreciation.
RISK

1. Political and Economic

Tunisia continues to advance its democratic transition, although its
young democracy has seen nine governments in the last ten years. In
May 2018, the first free and fair local elections were held,
representing a significant first step in the process of decentralisation.
At the end of 2019, Kais Saied won the presidential elections while
the parliamentary elections produced a split Parliament without any
majority forming political blocs. Following the elections, negotiations
produced a government headed by Elyes Fakhfakh, which collapsed
after less than five months in office. Further negotiations produced
the current technocratic government headed by Hisham Mechichi,
which secured parliamentary approval in September 2021.

Tunisia already suffered from a challenging socio-economic situation

even prior to the additional strains of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Frustrations with high levels of unemployment continue to fuel
protests, including a series of violent riots in January 2021.

5. Labour Market and Practices

British Nationals are not required to obtain entry visas for Tunisia
for stays up to 3 months. Foreign nationals intending to take up
employment in Tunisia must first obtain work and residence
permits, which are only available in Tunisia and cannot be
obtained before arrival.

Foreigners are not allowed to do jobs which Tunisians could

normally fill. There are special provisions for foreign-owned or off-
shore companies. As a general rule, job seekers should only sign
properly drawn-up contracts offered by an employer and which
have been endorsed by the Ministry of Social Affairs (website in
French or Arabic). If you need advice, you can consult a lawyer. A
list of lawyers is available from the British Embassy Tunis or the
Consular Division of the FCDO in London.
OPPORTUNITIES:

Good opportunities that can be spotted.

Interesting trends of industry.

Opportunities for Ramly Burger Swot Analysis can be obtained

from things such as:

Change in technology and market strategies

Government policy changes that is related to the company’s field

Changes in social patterns and lifestyles.

Local events.

THREATS:

Following points can be identified as a threat to company:

Company’s facing obstacles.

Activities of competitors.

Product and services quality standards

Threat from changing technologies

Financial/cash flow problems

Weakness that threaten the business.

Opportunities
New product in market Ramly products are the new product in
the market. So they have a huge opportunities to market their
product to the costumers. On the other hand, because of the Ramly
products are new in the market, most customers will be interested to
try this product because of the principle of customers always want to
try new products that exist in the market.

Targeting a large market Ramly company targeting the large

market because the product will be marketed in the country and to
the other country. This company have the opportunities to enter the
large market because they sell Halal product which will be an
advantage to the Muslim people around the world.

Large scope production They export the product countries such

as Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. They already have a large per
cent there which is around 30 per cent, so Ramly company have the
opportunities to make their scope of production larger because they
already have some link there such as marketing the product to the
supermarket and the mini shop. Moreover, they already have a kiosk
to market the products.