In support of the efforts made by the State to contain the repercussions of the Corona virus and protect citizens against this pandemic, and given the difficulties or even the impossibility of acquiring medicines as well as certain medical equipment from abroad following a global shortage for lack of self-sufficiency to cover local logistical, technical and medical needs, a working session was urgently held at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, on the morning of Sunday March 22, 2020, at the initiative of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Mr. Selim Choura, with the participation of Dr. Abdellatif Mekki, Minister of Public Health, Mr. Mohamed Salah Ben Youssef, Minister of Industry and Small and Medium Enterprises, Mr. Mohamad Fadhel Kraiem, Minister of Communication Technologies and Digital Transformation and Dr. Boutheina Ben Yaghlane, Director G of Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, the meeting aimed to launch a joint initiative aimed at unifying efforts in the fight against the new coronavirus COVID-19 and providing joint and sectoral solutions by valuing the role of talents and Tunisian skills, university professors and technologists, researchers, doctors, students, industrialists, engineers, technicians and any manager from the sectors concerned (public and / or private structures). The meeting reached agreement on the following points:
- Define the most urgent priorities and create a dedicated working group.
- Create a common platform to host initiatives and projects, bring together national skills and establish links with funding mechanisms,
- Emergency creation of a steering committee where all the sectors concerned are represented with the participation of the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) and the Tunisian Association of Capital Investors (ATIC),
- Creation of an investment vehicle of 100 MDT on the initiative of the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) in order to finance the acquisition of equipment for hospitals and public health establishments.
- Activate framing and support mechanisms for the benefit of the bearers of innovative ideas, initiatives and projects from academic institutions, research structures and Startups.
- Further develop the Public Private Partnership model for this joint initiative.
