مساحة الشركات الصغيرة والمتوسطة في الجمهورية التونسية

Advancing E-commerce for Women-Led MSMEs in Tunisia

📅 Date: 14 August 2026
🏷️ Theme: E-commerce | Women Entrepreneurs | Ecosystem Assessment | Gender-responsive Policies | Capacity-building | AI

The ESCWA Technology Centre, in collaboration with national stakeholders in Tunisia, including the Ministry of Family, Women, Children and Seniors, is implementing an initiative to strengthen Tunisia’s e-commerce ecosystem and enhance the participation of women and MSMEs in the digital economy.

At the national level, the initiative will conduct a comprehensive assessment and mapping of Tunisia’s e-commerce ecosystem, covering existing initiatives and programmes, key stakeholders, opportunities, needs, gaps, and challenges affecting the ability of MSMEs and entrepreneurs to benefit from e-commerce. The assessment will apply a gender lens to identify the specific barriers faced by women in entering and benefiting from the e-commerce ecosystem. Based on the findings, ESCWA will work with national stakeholders to propose gender-responsive policies and measures aimed at addressing these barriers and creating a more inclusive and enabling e-commerce environment.

Complementing this policy-level work, ESCWA launched a capacity-building programme targeting 100 Tunisian women entrepreneurs. The programme will equip participants with practical knowledge, skills, and tools to use e-commerce to expand their businesses, reach new customers and markets, and leverage emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, to support their business growth.

ETC Contribution

The ESCWA Technology Centre will provide:

An assessment and mapping of Tunisia’s e-commerce ecosystem, including key actors, initiatives, opportunities, needs, gaps, and challenges.
A gender-focused assessment of the barriers and challenges affecting women’s participation in e-commerce.
Policy recommendations and proposed gender-responsive measures to strengthen women’s participation in Tunisia’s e-commerce ecosystem.
Capacity-building for 100 Tunisian women entrepreneurs on e-commerce and the practical use of digital and AI tools.
 

Partners: Ministry of Family, Women, Children and Seniors (Tunisia); Organisation Nationale des Entrepreneurs (ONE)