TUNIS, July 8 (Xinhua) -- A grant agreement of 2.128 million U.S. dollars was signed Monday between Tunisia and the World Bank (WB) to support decentralization, reported Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP).
The signing ceremony of the agreement was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Development, Investment and International Cooperation in the presence of Minister Zied Ladhari and the Country Director for the Maghreb and Malta, Middle East and North Africa, Marie Francoise Marie Nelly.
"This grant is intended to support the process of decentralization of power in Tunisia," TAP quoted Ladhari as saying.
The minister stressed that this support will be used to finance development projects which aim at strengthening the proximity between the state structures and the citizens as well as to improve the quality of services in the regions.
This grant will be financed by the multi-donor fund "Moussanada" administered by the WB and supports projects in the financial sector, governance and public finances as well as in decentralization.
For her part, Francoise Marie Nelly said the WB, in its support for decentralization in Tunisia, is based on a participatory approach that involves citizens in identifying their development needs to implement projects.
