| PRASOC – | |||
| Programme d’appui au secteur privé et à l’inclusion financière dans les domaines de l’agriculture et de l’économie sociale et solidaire | |||
| Name of responsible organization: AICS – Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development | |||
| Website: https://tunisi.aics.gov.it/fr/home-fra/pays/initiatives-de-cooperation/prasoc/ | |||
| NATIONAL OR LOCAL | N/L | ||
| Starting year | 2020 | End year | 2025 |
| PRASOC Programme, with an envelope of 57 Million Euros, focuses on creating instruments to foster financial inclusion of economic operators that are excluded or find it difficult to have access to formal financial system, while having a potential to develop sustainable economic activities in leading sectors. The programma consists in two credit lines for private sector – one is dedicated to agricultural loans and the other to Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS – Economie Scoiale et Solidaire) – for an overall amount of 50 million Euros – and a Fund to support financial inclusion, 7 million Euros, to mobilized resources, as grant, focusing agricultural loans and ESS. The Programme aims at financing at least 100 operators in the agricultural sector and 300 in social and solidarity economy sector. |
What kind of activity does this measure finance?
| Creation of new businesses | Yes |
| Strengthening of existing businesses | Yes |
| Specific investments – specify type (i.e. innovation, research, environmental transition, hiring, internationalization, purchase of goods) | Yes Goods, new and used equipment, related services (engineering, transport, insurance, installation, training, technical assistance) Services Maintenance and renovation Raw materials and livestock Working capital |
| Training activities | Yes |
| Other (specify) | It offer a grant for technical assistance and, in the case of agriculture, to pay for insurance |
What type of financing is it?
| Low-interest loan (indicate the repayment time and, if present, the requirement for collateral) | Yes For agriculture and fisheries: – Interest rate: max 8% for banks; – Duration: max 12 years; – Grace period: max 5 years; – Max amount: 2 mln. TDN (no more than 80% of overall investment). For social and solidarity economy: – Interest rate: max 8% for banks and 12% for MFIs; – Duration: max 7 years; – Grace period: max 2 years; – Max amount: 300.000 mln TDN. |
| Non-repayable grant (indicate the percentage of non-repayable fund) | Yes People eligible for loans can have an additional 14% grant. For agriculture and fisheries: – 10% Increase personal capital (equity); – 2% Voucher for technical assistance; – 2% Insurance on agricultural loans. For social and solidarity economy: – 12% Increase personal capital (equity); – 2% Voucher for technical assistance. |
| Tax credit | No |
| Other (specify) | Yes/No |
How does the activation of the measure work?
| One-stop means | People apply directly at partner banks |
| Call with closing date |
Financial entity of the measure (indicate the resources allocated)
| Overall amount | 57 million EUR credit line: – 35 million of agriculture and fisheries – 15 million of social solidarity enterprises – 7 Million financial inclusion support fund (grant) |
| % facilitation for each recipient | The agriculture and fisheries line foresees a 8% interest rate for banks and leasing companies, and max 5 years grace period. The ESS line foresees a 8% max interest rate for banks and 12% for MFIs, with max 2 years’ grace period |
| Minimum amount that can be financed | N/A |
| Maximum amount that can be financed | For agriculture and fisheries the maximum amount is 200.000.000 TND (the amount should not be more than 80% of the overall investment); for the ESS line the maximum amount is 300.000 TND. |
| Origin of financial resources (European, State, Regional authority, Municipal authority, other) | European |
Type of funded social structure (indicate if belonging to a specific category is required in order, to access the measure)
| Female | Over 50 | Unemployed (specify any type) | Disadvantaged groups (specify type) | Youth (specify age range) | Other (specify) | |
| Individual | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Company | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
Does the measure provide for accompaniment and training or only financial support?
| Financial support + accompaniment/training | |
| Only Financial support |
How many initiatives have been financed in the last 3 years and for what economic amount?
| Number of initiatives 64 (only for agriculture) | Total economic amount 21.532.127 TND (20.701.106 TND credit and 831.021 TND grant). |
