Transfers from Tunisians working abroad also increased during the same period, by 7.3%, to 772 million dollars, against 690 million dollars in the same period last year.
The bank said net foreign exchange reserves fell to $7.29 billion as of April 28, from about $7.95 billion in the same period in 2022.
Tunisia is suffering from a worsening economic crisis with a sharp rise in the inflation rate and commodity prices, and it is seeking to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund to obtain financing of around 1.9 billion to support its budget, but the deal stalled due to the lack of agreement between the government and the fund on the required austerity measures.
Inflation data in March showed a slight slowdown from the February figures, as it recorded 10.3%, compared to 10.4% in February.
Last January, the governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia, Marwan Al-Abbasi, predicted that inflation would increase in 2023 to 11%, against 8.3% in 2022.
At the end of March last year, the International Monetary Fund published a report entitled “Reform of energy subsidies for a more sustainable Tunisia”, in which it indicates that the pace of economic recovery in Tunisia has slowed in 2022, and at the same time the current account deficit and public finances have increased in light of rising global energy and food prices.
The report acknowledged Tunisia’s great potential, but said the economic recovery from the Corona outbreak continued at average rates, with real GDP reaching growth rates of 2.5% in 2022 in due to the current pace of economic reform, which has led to regulatory barriers to growth. .
The report projected Tunisia’s GDP growth rate to reach around 2.3% in 2023, with wide variation depending on progress in financing conditions and structural reforms, and recommended the adoption and implementation an ambitious reform program to meet Tunisia’s external financing needs and foster sustainable economic growth.
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