For years, Tunisia has spoken of modernising its bureaucracy, but progress has often been halting. Ministries ran on outdated systems, public services were tangled in paperwork, and investors complained of a climate too slow and opaque for growth. That may be about to change. The Tunisian Cabinet has approved a sweeping package of reforms aimed at accelerating digital transformation across state administration.

The plan is not just a tech upgrade. It is a political and economic wager: that transparency, efficiency, and better governance can anchor Tunisia’s competitiveness at home and abroad. And at the centre of this shift are two pillars the government is betting on — artificial intelligence and open data.

The focus on AI and open data may sound trendy, but for Tunisia it is deeply pragmatic. The government sees structured, accessible data as the missing piece in building smarter services, whether for tax collection, corruption detection, or citizen access. Without it, AI cannot deliver meaningful insights.

The ambition echoes experiments elsewhere. Rwanda has leaned on open data portals to draw foreign developers into its tech ecosystem. The UAE created a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence to set strategy across sectors. Tunisia’s challenge is more basic but just as urgent: gather, clean, and standardise datasets across fragmented ministries — and then ensure they’re governed in ways that safeguard privacy while encouraging innovation.

The stakes are high. If done right, AI could help identify fraud in procurement, cut red tape in business registration, or even predict economic trends. If done poorly, it risks becoming another set of unused tools — or worse, a mechanism for overreach without accountability.

One of the less flashy but more consequential measures in the cabinet’s plan is the push for interconnectivity between ministries. Tunisia’s bureaucracy has long been defined by silos: citizens repeat the same paperwork across agencies, businesses shuffle from office to office, and data sits locked away in departmental fiefdoms.

The government now wants “binding mechanisms” for data sharing. If implemented, this could radically streamline daily life: land registry offices talking to tax authorities, or social services linked to national ID systems. It would also make corruption harder, since digital trails are harder to manipulate than paper files.

Yet here lies another tension. Interconnectivity requires strong cybersecurity frameworks, something Tunisia has only started to build. The recent awareness campaign on encryption by the National Cybersecurity Agency shows progress, but the country still lacks the muscle of more mature digital states. Linking systems without safeguarding them risks exposing citizens’ data to breaches or abuse.

Among the government’s promises, one stands out for ordinary Tunisians: a unified national digital portal. On paper, it’s a single interface where citizens and businesses can handle everything from tax declarations to permits. In practice, it could spell the end of endless queues and stamped documents that define daily interactions with the state.

The model is not unprecedented. Estonia’s e-government platform is globally celebrated for its efficiency. Closer to home, Kenya’s eCitizen has become a one-stop shop for government services, though it too has struggled with downtime and accessibility issues. For Tunisia, the key will be building a portal that is not just technically sound but user-friendly — especially on mobile, given high smartphone penetration and patchy fixed-line infrastructure.

If it works, it could change the relationship between Tunisians and their government: less face-to-face bureaucracy, more predictable digital interactions. But the test will come when citizens from rural regions, where connectivity lags, try to use it. A national portal that excludes parts of the population would only deepen inequalities.

The government frames digitalisation not only as good governance but as an economic strategy. Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri has described full digitisation as “necessary, not optional” — a prerequisite for attracting investment, improving the business climate, and spurring growth.

The logic is straightforward. Investors are wary of opaque processes, inconsistent enforcement, and time-consuming red tape. Digital workflows can shrink approval timelines, reduce opportunities for graft, and give businesses clarity on costs and compliance. For startups, especially in fintech and e-commerce, the expansion of digital payment systems and inclusion policies could unlock new markets.

But there is a cost side that rarely makes the headlines. Building secure systems, retraining civil servants, and upgrading infrastructure requires capital Tunisia does not have in abundance. Much of this transformation will depend on whether international partners — the EU, World Bank, or private investors — are willing to fund the transition.

Looking beyond immediate reforms, Tunisia has set its sights on a unified digital vision for 2026–2030. The plan is to codify clear objectives, timelines, and user-centred approaches, with “process re-engineering” as a mandatory first step.

That phrase — process re-engineering — is more radical than it sounds. It implies not just moving paper forms online but rethinking entire workflows: how laws are drafted, how permits are issued, how public funds are tracked. It is essentially an invitation to rebuild the administrative state from the inside out.

The open question is whether Tunisia has the institutional strength to follow through. Many reform agendas have collapsed under political turnover or economic shocks. If the roadmap survives those pressures, it could place Tunisia among regional leaders in digital governance. If not, it risks being remembered as another ambitious document left to gather dust.

The story of Tunisia’s digital transformation is more than an upgrade of IT systems. It is a bet that technology, if married to good governance, can rebuild trust between citizens and the state, attract investment, and reposition Tunisia in a competitive region.

The cabinet’s measures — AI integration, open data policies, interconnectivity mandates, and a unified portal — all move in that direction. But as with every digitalisation push, the real test will be execution. How the government balances speed with security, ambition with inclusion, and openness with control will determine whether this transformation truly reshapes Tunisia’s future or remains stuck in the language of policy papers.

Ambition alone doesn’t deliver reform. Tunisia’s plan has clarity on pillars and projects, but less on the practical details of execution. Some of the hardest questions remain unanswered, from financing to accountability.

The gaps are not trivial. They cut to the heart of whether the strategy can move beyond PowerPoint slides into real-world governance.

There are, however, some guardrails that could tilt the balance toward progress. They don’t guarantee success, but they offer a map for avoiding the most obvious pitfalls.

Digital transformation is never just about technology. It is about whether citizens feel the state works for them, whether businesses trust that rules are clear, and whether policymakers can resist the temptation to treat new systems as political trophies rather than public infrastructure. Tunisia’s reforms carry the promise of renewal, but also the risk of repetition — another cycle of ambitious plans without delivery.

What will ultimately matter is not how many portals launch or how many projects are logged, but whether a farmer in Kairouan can file a permit without leaving his village, whether a young entrepreneur in Tunis can register a startup in days rather than months, and whether citizens believe that digital decisions are fairer than paper ones. These everyday moments will decide if Tunisia’s digital wager becomes a turning point or another missed opportunity.