Netherlands grants Tunisia €60.92 million for coastal protection
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Tunisia Online
The Netherlands is granting Tunisia €60.92 million to finance phases 4 and 5 of its coastal protection programme, with three new sites in Bizerte, Sousse-Skanès and Djerba. The agreement was signed on 10 November 2026 by Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti and Invest International director Melanie Maas Geesteranus, according to Tunisia’s Foreign Ministry.
The Netherlands is granting Tunisia €60.92 million to finance new phases of the Tunisian coastal protection programme. The agreement was signed on 10 November 2026 by Tunisian Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti and Melanie Maas Geesteranus, director general of Invest International B.V., the Dutch institution responsible for financing sustainable development projects.
The funding will cover the fourth and fifth phases of the programme, as well as an additional phase. The works will concern three areas: Bizerte, the area between Sousse-Sud and Skanès-Qaraïa in Monastir, and the north-eastern coast of the island of Djerba. A study on coastal protection between Ben Khiar and Yasmine Hammamet is also planned.
Launched in 2013 as part of Tunisian-German cooperation, the programme notably benefits from funding from the German development bank KfW. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Dewi van de Weerd, the designated Dutch ambassador to Tunisia, and Elisabeth Wolbers, Germany’s ambassador to Tunis. Mohamed Ali Nafti welcomed Dutch support and referred to opportunities for cooperation in agriculture, water management, transport and infrastructure.
