PAGIP – Project to Support Public Investment Governance in Tunisia

Strengthening the entire public investment management process in Tunisia

Diagnostic of public investment governance

The services of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund have conducted various diagnostics in Tunisia, including a Public Investment Management Assessment (PIMA). They have identified structural deficiencies in public investment governance, including a fragmentation of projects, which leads to a significant increase in the number of projects, in a context of political pressure in the country’s interior regions.

The public investment management system is faced with difficulties related to a work culture focused on a logic of means, a lack of standardised and operational methods for the preparation and evaluation of projects, and a need for tools to select and prioritise public investment projects. The search for efficiency in public expenditure is an increasingly important issue in Tunisia.

Reform of the legal and regulatory framework for public investment governance

In view of the above, the Government has adopted a decree to create a unified framework for the assessment and management of public investments.

The main objective of this framework is to improve the performance of the public investment management system, by involving all the stakeholders involved upstream and downstream of these projects. The aim is to define new methods of collaboration between the various stakeholders, in order to select projects which have the greatest impact for Tunisian people and contribute to the sustainable development of Tunisia. The unified framework also aims to ensure better monitoring of public investment projects.

In addition, the decree sets out the missions and composition of the National Public Project Approval Committee (CNAPP). The CNAPP is responsible for harmonising public investment management, monitoring the implementation of the development plan and improving coordination between the projects submitted for inclusion in the State budget.

TARTIB: A first support project conducted by Expertise France

The PAGIP project follows on from an initial support operation by Expertise France which had laid the groundwork for the reform of the unified public investment management and assessment framework.

This initial phase, called TARTIB, was implemented in 2018-2019 at the request of the Moussanada Fund with strong political support. It has created a real momentum for reform and gained the support of project initiators for the various processes and tools developed by the team of experts mobilised.

Expertise France has contributed to the operationalisation of the CNAPP by providing it with: a standard project sheet, a multifaceted approach for the prioritisation of projects and a software tool to help prioritise projects.

PAGIP: improving the efficiency of public investment

The Project to support Public Investment Governance in Tunisia (PAGIP) aims to assist the Ministry of the Economy and Planning (General Committee for Sectoral and Regional Development) and the various national and local stakeholders with the operationalisation of the unified public investment management and assessment framework. The objective is to improve the overall efficiency of public investment.

The PAGIP has a holistic approach which reinforces the overall governance and strengthens the management cycle, from the identification to the monitoring-evaluation and including the preparation and selection phase.

This project is based on four pillars:

1- Identification and preparation: development of projects, socioeconomic assessment
2- Programming and selection: coordination with the budget by objectives (GBO) reform, prioritisation
3- Monitoring and evaluation: management of projects, reporting, ex post evaluation
4- Governance: coordination between the stakeholders at the national and subnational levels, legal framework, citizen-based approach, communication.

To implement the project, Expertise France is working in a spirit of co-construction with the national stakeholders involved in public investment management, in order to strengthen the various management processes for public investment projects. It is focusing on existing national best practices and also refers to international standards. Expertise France will mobilise both public expertise from the French administration and private expertise with a proven track record in public investment governance.