On April 27, 2011, in Tunis, CLDP, with the support of the US Embassy and the Tunisian government, led a conference “Entrepreneurship and Innovation”.  The workshop will include presentations by U.S. and Tunisian experts on intellectual property rights, franchising, and new technologies, as well as a primer on the basic legal requirements for starting or strengthening a business in Tunisia.  There was a strong emphasis on the creation of high-value-added and export-oriented enterprises as well as entrepreneurship, economic development and job creation, including specific case studies of successful entrepreneurial companies in the region.  The workshop was co-sponsored by several Tunisian government agencies as well as the Tunisian American Chamber of Commerce and the Center for Young Entrepreneurs.  It was attended by over 100 participants, including many young entrepreneurs who are currently being “incubated” as part of a nationwide effort to spur SME creation, who put to good use their newly acquired freedom of speech by discussing openly issues such as corruption and various obstacles to enterprise development. 

On the April 28, CLDP franchise expert, Bachir Mihoubi and Marianne McManus ran a 3 hour seminar on franchising at the US Embassy for a small group of entrepreneurs interested in opening or creating their own franchise.  CLDP has been assisting the development of a legal framework for franchising in Tunisia for the last couple of years as well as providing technical and practical training for entrepreneurs.

During the conference, CLDP officially launched the French and English version of “Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Maghreb.” The book includes a preface by DOC General Counsel, Cameron Kerry and a foreword by former US Ambassador to Tunisia Robert F. Godec and was developed by a group of Tunisian businessmen and scholars in collaboration with IHEC (Tunisian Institute of Hautes Etudes Commerciales), MEPI, CLDP and the Rensselaer Lally School of Management and Technology.  The book is part of CLDP’s continued technical assistance to promote economic development in the region by providing young and aspiring entrepreneurs with the practical tools needed for the creation of successful new enterprises in emerging markets.  The book took a holistic approach and covers all the aspects of enterprise development, from the creation of new ventures and their funding sources to harvest and exit strategies.