The Japanese group NTN Corporation, one of the world leaders in the manufacture of automotive components, plans to set up in Tunisia to launch its first industrial project on the African continent, the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy announced on Monday.
This investment prospect was mentioned at a meeting held in Tunis between the Minister of Industry, Fatma Thabet Chiboub, and the CEO of the Japanese group, Eiichi Ukai, on an official visit for the first time in Tunisia.
The meeting brought together several officials from the Tunisian industrial sector, including LTM leaders, the Al Badr group, as well as the Director General of the Industry and Innovation Promotion Agency (APII), Omar Bouzouada.
During this meeting, NTN Corporation presented its potential investment program in Tunisia, which would relate to the manufacture of automobile components intended for export, thus confirming the growing interest of Japanese investors for the Tunisian market.
A strong signal for the Tunisian industrial sector
Minister Fatma Thabet Chiboub praised this initiative, stressing her strategic importance for the country’s industrial development:
“The automotive component industry develops by attracting investments with high added value and with high technological content in order to give Tunisia a world famous in this area”.
This project, if it materializes, should strengthen the attractiveness of Tunisia as a regional pole of the automotive industry and create new qualified jobs, while stimulating high added value exports.
Founded in 1918, the NTN Corporation group is recognized for its expertise in the manufacture of shock absorbers, transmission joints and precision equipment for cars. The group has 207 sites in 33 countries and employs 22,000 people around the world.