Driving local change from afar: How Tunisia’s diaspora is empowering women and youth through enterprise
- routedmagazine
- Nov 11
- 5 min read
By Firas Oueslati and Sarah Baba | Issue 27
In Kairouan, a Tunisian region known for its rich cultural heritage yet often overlooked in national development plans, an olive oil brand is reshaping the future of rural entrepreneurship. At the centre of this transformation is Oléa Amiri, led by entrepreneur Sonia Amiri, who is not only reviving a long-standing oil mill in her hometown of Oueslatia, but also positioning Tunisian olive oil on the international stage. Nestled in the heart of Tunisia’s interior, Oueslatia is part of the Regional Development Zones (RDZ) identified areas facing structural socio-economic challenges, including high unemployment, underinvestment, and youth migration. Despite these challenges, the region holds remarkable potential in agriculture and agro-processing, particularly in olive cultivation. The Oléa Amiri initiative exemplifies how diaspora-driven investments can harness this potential to stimulate local value chains and empower rural communities. For Sonia, launching an olive oil business in Oueslatia was not just about starting a company, it was about investing in her hometown’s future and helping shape its economic trajectory. This revival has been made possible through the deep-rooted commitment of the Tunisian diaspora and the catalytic support of the Mobi-TRE project, which is demonstrating how transnational engagement can serve as a lever for inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
Implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Tunisia with funding from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI) through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), the Mobi-TRE project Phase II ‘Migration as a Resource: Mobilizing the Tunisian Diaspora and Stabilizing Disadvantaged Communities in Tunisia’ is rooted in a powerful vision: to turn transnational links into local prosperity. Indeed, the project supports the creation and consolidation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) nationwide with a strong focus on RDZs characterised by high migration potential. Through diaspora engagement and innovative co-financing mechanisms, Mobi-TRE channels both financial and human capital from Tunisians abroad into viable, local businesses that respond to local needs, promote job creation, and foster social inclusion. In its current phase (2023–2026), the Project is supporting small businesses across 18 regions in Tunisia, and investing in regions like Oueslatia, it is not only stimulating entrepreneurship but also delivering on its vision to support regional development and strengthen the resilience of marginalised communities.
Sonia’s business journey offers a striking illustration of this approach. With an initial €8,500 investment from a family member living in France, she began renovating the old mill that would become Oléa Amiri. This private diaspora contribution was then matched by IOM through a €17,000 in-kind grant for a high-quality olive oil extraction machine. The results have been truly transformational. Sonia now exports her premium olive oil to Germany, Italy, United Arab Emirates, and Côte d’Ivoire, turning a local initiative into a global enterprise, while reinforcing the economic prosperity of her community. With the support of Mobi-TRE, Sonia also received legal assistance through a specialised expert and accounting firm, along with one-on-one coaching and a comprehensive 12-month training programme that included business planning, marketing strategies, digital promotion, and product photography. These tools have helped Oléa Amiri grow into an award-winning brand and an emerging destination for olive oil tourism in the Kairouan region.
Reflecting on her experience, Sonia Amiri shared:
‘With Mobi-TRE, I gained financing, visibility and personalised coaching that made a real difference. The support helped me accelerate my exports and secure new orders. I started from nothing, but thanks to the trust and co-financing of my relatives abroad and the guidance I received, I’ve built something strong. Patience led me, and hard work grounded me. As a woman entrepreneur in Tunisia, I know what it means to rise from zero. Today, I want to go even further: expand production and keep showing what’s possible when local ambition meets the right support.’
Mobi-TRE’s model places women and youth at the centre. Of the enterprises supported so far, 35 percent are women-led, resulting in the creation and maintenance of 227 formal jobs for women, including 144 for youth. In fact, Sonia’s business alone employs six seasonal workers, five of them women between the ages of 30 and 45. These are not just jobs, they are pathways to economic participation, empowerment, and resilience in communities that have often been on the periphery of Tunisia’s development. Her story is one of 30 success cases for the Mobi-TRE project, which is continuing to support 37 businesses from its first phase and is expected to create hundreds of additional jobs.
From revitalising old mills in Kairouan to launching high-potential businesses in underserved regions, Mobi-TRE exemplifies how diaspora investment and local ambition can come together to generate enterprise growth, community revitalisation, and economic empowerment. As a scalable and inclusive development model, it shows how engaged diasporas can be powerful agents of systemic and sustainable change. It also reflects how remittances, when invested strategically, can evolve from household support into drivers of regional development and long-term economic transformation.
For women like Sonia Amiri and countless other youth and entrepreneurs, it also proves that home is not only where one starts; it’s where futures can be rebuilt.
About the project
Since its launch in 2017, Mobi-TRE has become a transformative initiative harnessing the Tunisian diaspora to drive inclusive local economic development. Across two phases, it supported over 80 small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in 13 regions and sectors like agriculture, industry, services, and handicrafts. It mobilised over €600,000 in diaspora investment and created or sustained at least 500 jobs, emphasising youth and women’s employment, while boosting entrepreneurship and regional innovation.
Through a co-financing grant mechanism, Mobi-TRE incentivises diaspora investment and provides a 12-month business development program offering tailored guidance in enterprise structuring, financial management, marketing, digitalisation, and export readiness. Entrepreneurs also access national and international fairs to build sustainable businesses.
More than a funding initiative, Mobi-TRE adopts a people-centered approach, positioning the diaspora as strategic development partners. It redefines migration as a valuable resource, aligning with Tunisia’s priorities and global frameworks like Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Compact for Migration, translating transnational cooperation into tangible local impact.
You can read more about the project here.
Firas Oueslati
Firas has worked on a range of migration-focused initiatives, notably as a Project Assistant with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Tunisia on Mobi-TRE Phase II, a diaspora-oriented project. He has a background in International Relations as well as migration, cooperation, and development from the University of Tunis El-Manar and the University of Palermo. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Sarah Baba
Sarah is a Project Manager with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), specialising in diaspora engagement, strategic partnerships, and sustainable reintegration. With over a decade of experience across the Middle East and Africa, she has led complex programmes in conflict-affected and post-crisis contexts, working closely with governments, UN agencies, and civil society to advance inclusive development through migration. You can find her on LinkedIn.
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