Stratégie Nationale en Intelligence Artificielle, "Unlocking Tunisia's Capabilities Potential" / National AI Strategy and Roadmap (Tunisia)

Tunisia's national artificial intelligence strategy is a non-binding policy initiative rather than enacted law. Its foundation is the document "National AI Strategy: Unlocking Tunisia's Capabilities Potential," launched in September 2018 under the Secretary of State for Scientific Research, with the National Agency for the Promotion of Scientific Research (Agence Nationale de la Promotion de la Recherche scientifique, ANPR) as lead and supported by the UNESCO Chair on Science, Technology and Innovation Policy. A national Task Force and a Steering Committee were established to devise the methodology and action plan. The work subsequently developed into an AI Roadmap covering 2021 - 2025, monitored by the OECD.AI Policy Observatory and associated with the Ministry responsible for communication technologies and the national research and innovation programme. As a strategy/roadmap, it sets objectives and proposes an action plan but creates no binding legal obligations. The strategy is structured around six strategic priorities: training AI experts and growing AI employment; supporting research, entrepreneurship and innovation; facilitating access to quality data and technical infrastructure (including cloud and high-performance computing); regulating to accelerate socio-economic adaptation; strengthening international cooperation; and accelerating structural and labour-market transformation. Cross-cutting aims include raising awareness of AI's risks and opportunities, building an open-data ecosystem, running AI pilot projects across public and private sectors, and developing 'research-to-industry' pathways. Priority application sectors emphasised across Tunisian policy include health (intelligent diagnosis and care solutions), agriculture, transport (traffic and public-transport management), and education. Implementation has been gradual; Tunisian authorities have continued to refine the framework, and government programming for 2026 includes completing the executive (implementation) plan of the national AI strategy and beginning its rollout, indicating the strategy remains a live, evolving initiative still moving toward full operationalisation. Tunisia is frequently cited as one of the first Arab and African states to articulate a national AI strategy. The date recorded here reflects the September 2018 publication of the foundational strategy document; it is policy adoption, not legislative enactment, and no binding AI-specific statute has resulted to date. Drafting note: the underlying documents are in French (and Arabic); this summary is in English.

1. 1Foundational document 'Unlocking Tunisia's Capabilities Potential' launched September 2018 under the Secretary of State for Scientific Research, led by ANPR with the UNESCO Chair
2. 2National AI Task Force and Steering Committee established to set methodology and action plan
3. 3Developed into an AI Roadmap 2021 - 2025 monitored by the OECD.AI Policy Observatory
4. 4Six strategic priorities: AI skills/employment; research, entrepreneurship and innovation; access to quality data and infrastructure (cloud, HPC); regulation for socio-economic adaptation; international cooperation; structural and labour transformation
5. 5Emphasis on open data, AI pilot projects and 'research-to-industry' pathways; priority sectors include health, agriculture, transport and education
6. 62026 government programme to finalise the executive implementation plan and begin rollout
7. 7Non-binding strategy; no AI-specific statute enacted