Washington, March 27, 2026 - The World Bank and the Government of Tunisia are deepening their partnership to strengthen the country's social protection system, with the World Bank Board of Directors approving US$90 million in additional financing for the Tunisia Social Development Promotion Support Project. This support will help people build better opportunities for their lives and strengthen pathways to livelihoods.
The new financing builds on the strong results of the original $700 million project implemented over the past five years, which delivered emergency cash transfers to over 895,000 households, and expanded permanent cash transfers under the AMEN program, the country's flagship social assistance initiative, to more than 386,000 beneficiary households while providing family allowances for over 150,000 children aged 0 to 5. The new financing will deepen these achievements, improving the effectiveness and long-term fiscal sustainability of Tunisia's social protection system.
This support will also expand family allowances to approximately 450,000 children aged 6 to 18 from poor and low-income households, helping to reduce barriers to education and reduce school dropout rates. It will also support the establishment of a national disability fund, which will provide dedicated transfers and streamlined access to services for persons with disabilities.
"This additional financing reflects our continued commitment to supporting Tunisia in building a social protection system that is more comprehensive, adaptive, and resilient," said Alexandre Arrobbio, World Bank Country Manager for Tunisia. "By expanding family allowances to school-age children and strengthening support for persons with disabilities, we are helping protect vulnerable households and support better opportunities for children across the country."
Beyond expanding coverage, the new financing will accelerate the digitalization of Tunisia's social protection system, including supporting the development of an Integrated Beneficiary Registry and broadening the use of digital payment tools. It will also pilot economic inclusion initiatives combining self-employment and wage-employment pathways, helping beneficiary households to better connect to job opportunities and achieve greater self-reliance.
"The reforms supported under this project go beyond cash transfers," said Mohamed El Aziz Ben Ghachem, Senior Social Protection Specialist at the World Bank. "Modernizing the targeting system, building a unified beneficiary registry, piloting economic inclusion nitiatives, and advancing harmonization across Tunisia's various social assistance and social insurance programs, will lay the foundations for a modern, data-driven and integrated social protection system in Tunisia."
