FAO, the Tunisian Agency for the Promotion of Agricultural Investments (APIA) and the National Institute of Agricultural Research of Tunisia (INRAT), have just welcomed, for another consecutive year, a selection of 20 young agri-entrepreneurs from the Béja region as 2023 candidates for the Agri-accelerator Hub. The selected candidates were introduced to the cluster's methodology and work program by the three partner teams, APIA, INRAT and FAO, at a first virtual meeting on Wednesday May 10, 2023. The second face-to-face meeting, in Béja on May 18, 2023, introduced these young project leaders to the key concepts of responsible agricultural investment.

Results of the selection process: 20 new candidates for the aromatic and medicinal plants and sheep Noire de Thibar sectors

For this second cohort of the cluster, 129 applications in the aromatic and medicinal plants and Noire de Thibar sheep breed sectors were processed by a local selection committee (experts representing the main regional governmental, professional and financial support institutions), 60% of whom were women, 60% of whom had already received training in entrepreneurship and almost 40% of whom had already drawn up a business plan.

Following interviews held on April 06, 11 and 13, 2023 at APIA's regional headquarters in Beja, and the evaluation of applications, 20 agri-entrepreneurs met the pre-established selection criteria and were officially selected to receive support to help them make their responsible investment projects sustainable. This individualized support will be provided throughout the year by a team of five coaches.

First training session for 2023 candidates: entrepreneurship and responsible investment in agriculture

On May 18, the Béja business center hosted the first training session organized as part of the activities of the cluster's second cohort. The aim of this training is to provide useful guidelines for understanding the "responsible investment" approach, as well as the concept of territorial development, a key element of the principle of responsibility in agricultural investment for young people in particular. This introduction will enable candidates to integrate these concepts into the development of their own responsible BMCs (Business Model Canvas). Beneficiaries were also introduced to the financing opportunities available in Tunisia through a presentation by the Banque de Financement des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises (BFPME).