Ghazi Ben Ahmed joins FIPRA as Special Advisor

We are pleased to announce that Ghazi Ben Ahmed has joined FIPRA as a Special Advisor for trade and development issues. He also represents FIPRA in Tunisia as part of the FIPRA Network.

Ghazi is the founder of the Mediterranean Development Initiative, a Tunisia-based think tank advising on Mediterranean / African affairs. He has worked extensively on EuroMed partnership agreements, DCFTA, ZLECA, BRI, to name a few.

Ghazi also led the African Development Bank (AfDB) response to the financial crisis in coordination with the G20, the WTO and the World Bank.

He established and managed the $1 billion Trade Finance Initiative of the Bank. He has won several international awards for the best trade finance initiative of the year.

“I am excited to be part of FIPRA to help rethink EU, Mediterranean & African relations and opportunities in a post-Covid world. Investments and integration within the EuroMed region and with Africa can provide an opportunity to enhance regional trade relations by establishing safe and resilient regional supply chains, and unleash forces for Mediterranean dynamism,” said Ghazi.

“As Europe’s new strategy for the Southern Neighbourhood is based on pillars such as the Green Deal and digitalization, industry and regulators must work together to seize these opportunities,” he stated.

Ghazi brings significant experience in working on EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements) within UNCTAD Geneva. He has several years experience in the European Commission in Brussels, in several Directorates-Generals: Trade, EuropeAid and External Relations, which handles trade issues, EU trade and development policy, textile negotiations, macroeconomic analysis, structural adjustment and institutional building in the Mediterranean countries.

He was also responsible for the task force on market access, non-tariff barriers, and the High-Level Dialogue between the EU and China.

Ghazi has a PhD in economics from the University of Montpellier I, France.