Boosting entrepreneurship through the strengthening of SMEs and VSEs acquires a dimension straddling the economic and social sectors and reflects the desire to establish a new development model, based on equal opportunities for all. The Export Promotion Centre relies on this financial and developmental inclusion of VSEs and SMEs through the operation of a fund, designed for this purpose. This is the TASDIR+ Fund, which started in 2015 for a five-year term. Financed by the World Bank, it is coming to an end after having taken up colossal challenges... Indeed, during the organization, recently, by the CNCFE, of a seminar on E-Export, Mr. Riadh Bzzarga, Director-Coordinator of the TASDIR+ Fund, took the opportunity to review the objectives set for this source of funding, although provisional. The fund's mission is to support e-commerce for SMEs and VSEs and to provide them with all the opportunities of modern exports, as they are governed by electronic payment. It also paves the way for Tunisian companies to establish themselves abroad, diversify products and markets and gain notoriety. With an honourable budget of around €15 million, the fund has prepared the ground for nearly 600 companies to enable them to engage in export. Mr. Bzzarga stressed that promoting international trade involves an insightful selection of innovative projects. Moreover, 50% of the companies supported and financed by the fund are invested in the ICT sector. "What distinguishes the TASDIR+ Fund is its doubly interesting offer. We offer young entrepreneurs two kinds of support: support for the export of products, particularly those in the artisanal, agricultural and agri-food sectors, but also in the ICT and other sectors, on the one hand, and support for establishment abroad, on the other hand," he said. This approach is likely to boost the conquest of new markets as well as to pave the way for the internationalization of a Tunisian company. "In fact, we offer three types of products: the business plan, the establishment abroad and also the sector approach," he added. As for the business plan, which aims to access export, the entrepreneur benefits from financing capped at 300 thousand dinars. Thanks to this envelope as well as the technical support, the entrepreneur has a range of actions capable of facilitating the path to the export of his products in three different markets. The fund assists the company in the marketing and promotion of its products through its participation in international fairs and events. Technical assistance for the development of the product or company, in general, is available as part of the business plan. It should be noted that the development of the company acquires great importance insofar as it ensures more notoriety and transparency on a national and international scale. "These are certifications that are essential to the status of the company, the creation of specialized units in export as well as the organization of targeted training sessions," he explained. It should be noted that 50% of the cost of the business plan is refundable. With regard to assistance for setting up the company abroad, the fund takes care of the expenses necessary for this purpose, including travel, installation abroad, promotional actions, etc. It also provides the company in question with a premium on the value exported to the market. "We insist, with the beneficiaries, especially those active in the agricultural and agri-food sectors, on the imperative to diversify the offer and introduce a greater variety of products on the conquered market," said Mr. Bzzarga. The official drew attention to the need for young Tunisian entrepreneurs to be inspired by the principle of solidarity and complementarity in order to be better equipped to meet the challenges of export. If unity is strength, it is because companies active in the same sector and aspiring to the realization of the same challenges are in the duty to unite so that the success rate can be multiplied if not optimal. "It is no longer tolerable, nowadays, to curl up on oneself and lead the fight for international visibility solo. For Tunisian companies, belonging to the same sector, continues the manager, competition is necessary at the national level. However, when it comes to conquering new markets, solidarity and complementarity are required. Hence the sector approach on which the TASDIR+ Fund relies". He added that the cost of access to exports via the sector approach becomes much lower than for the benefit of a single company, which is more than advantageous. Especially since the synergy of several companies promises a better sustainability of its presence on the world market. Also, and in order to encourage the association of several companies, the fund provides them with uncapped financial support! Thanks to the various support modalities, the Fund has managed, over the last four years, to support 563 companies through a global financing of around 45 MD. "The sectors most concerned are industry (-40%), ICT and the services sector (-40%) and international trade (-10%). The majority of the companies supported come from Greater Tunis, although we have spared no effort to encourage young entrepreneurs in the interior regions to benefit from the fund's support. Moreover, we had organized about thirty awareness and information actions on the fund's offers, in vain, "said Mr. Bzzarga. However, it would have been an opportunity for SMEs and VSEs in the regions to spread their wings and move forward, especially since TASDIR+ is characterized by optimal digitization. "All procedures and procedures are carried out remotely. The entrepreneur is only called to go to our headquarters once, once the file has been admitted, to negotiate his business plan, "he said. That said, successes are not uncommon. According to the figures provided by Mr. Bzzarga during the seminar on E-export, the fund has enabled no less than 180 companies to set up abroad, 56 of which have been carried out, as part of the sector approach, by 45 companies in synergy. The presence of women entrepreneurs does not go unnoticed, although the fund does not opt for any positive discrimination measures on a gender basis. The speaker pointed out that 15% of the businesses supported are led by women. "The figures for 2018 have clearly shown that women's businesses are significantly better than those run by men," he noted. E-commerce is at the heart of the fund's concerns. About thirty companies supported by TASDIR+ are invested in the online sale of textile products, beauty products, but also Kebili dates, to several markets, including the Russian market, the West African market and the French market. But the real pride of the fund is the indicators it has recorded, which clearly exceed national ones. And as proof: the companies supported by TASDIR + gave results of more than 32% compared to the national average. Even better: about thirty companies that have become fresh exporters managed to achieve, in 2018, a turnover of around 30MD. Especially since 80% of the companies that have benefited from the fund's support have managed to diversify their markets, while the national average does not exceed 10%! Mr. Bzzarga recalled, however, that the fund ends this year, which suggests that many potential companies would be deprived of such valuable financial and technical support. "We are in negotiations with the World Bank, hoping to renew the mandate for even an additional two years. But in any case, we strongly ask Cepex to take over and continue this support mechanism for SMEs and VSEs, "he recommended.