Financial Crime World

Tunisia’s Anti-Corruption Efforts Show Promising Signs, But More Needs to Be Done

Tunis, Tunisia - A recent report by the TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix highlights Tunisia’s progress in combating corruption, ranking first in the Arab world and improving its overall score from 2021.

Progress Made

The report notes that Tunisia has made significant strides in protecting citizens against administrative corruption and theft in the public sector, with a performance level of 73%. The country also scored above average in terms of:

  • Transparency of civil organizations and NGOs
  • Government openness and transparency

Areas for Improvement

However, the report identifies areas where Tunisia needs to improve, including:

  • Judiciary independence, ranked below the world average (2/2.7)
  • Effective implementation of anti-corruption laws and policies
  • Publicized laws and government data lacking (performance levels ranging from 50-40%)
  • Ensuring citizens’ right to information

Strengths

The report cites several strengths, including:

  • Robust institutional framework combining rigor and incentives to combat corruption
  • Critical media and academics, with a performance level above the world average

Recommendations for Improvement

To build on its progress, Tunisia can improve by:

  • Moving to electronic management of procurement cycles
  • Ensuring total digitization of administrative procedures
  • Strengthening financial reporting oversight mechanisms for state-owned enterprises

Government Response

In response to the report, a government spokesperson emphasized Tunisia’s commitment to fighting corruption and improving transparency and accountability.

Expert Insights

Experts agree that while progress has been made, more needs to be done. “Tunisia’s progress is encouraging, but it is essential to ensure that anti-corruption efforts are sustained over time,” said a leading expert on corruption.

Next Steps

In the coming weeks and months, Tunisia will need to take concrete steps to address the weaknesses identified in the report. By doing so, Tunisia can build on its progress and continue to make significant strides in fighting corruption and improving transparency and accountability.