Received on Saturday November 8, 2025 in Carthage, petrochemical engineer Ali Ben Hammoud was tasked by President Kaïs Saïed with forming a work team to propose immediate solutions to the environmental crisis in Gabès. His name, little known to the general public, now figures at the center of a presidential mission which combines technical expertise and political symbol.
An engineer trained in Shanghai
The Presidency press release presents Ali Ben Hammoud as a petrochemical engineer who graduated from the Shanghai University of Chemical Industries (People’s Republic of China). This clarification was widely reported by the Tunisian media.
A search carried out by Webdo reveals a Tunisian namesake who graduated in oil refining at East China University of Science and Technology in the 1980sbut the information has not been officially confirmed.
The Gabès file: a long-standing commitment
Ali Ben Hammoud is not completely unknown in the environmental file. In 2022, he was quoted by the media Assabah News as “specialized engineer, retired, in petroleum chemistry”warning of the dangers of dry storage of phosphogypsum in the Gabès region.
This precedence explains the presidential choice: to entrust the first phase of the plan to a technical figure anchored in the field, rather than to an administrative executive.
An emergency mission, while waiting for the strategy
President Saïed asked Ali Ben Hammoud to quickly form a work team responsible for proposing immediate solutions to industrial pollution in Gabès, before the development of a national strategic plan.
The Head of State praised “the patriotic conscience” and “the dedication” of Tunisian engineers, while denouncing “the corruption networks” responsible, according to him, for having “ignored the realistic scientific solutions proposed by the young people of Gabès”.
For the moment, the Presidency has not yet detailed the composition of the team nor specified the technical or budgetary means which will accompany this mission.
Ali Ben Hammoud’s scope of action remains to be defined: will it be coordination on a regional scale or a cell reporting directly to Carthage?
While awaiting these details, the appointment of this engineer, known for his knowledge of the Gabès file, reflects the desire to mobilize national skills in the face of a major environmental issue.
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