A founding contract of the Management and Operating Company of the Ben Guerdane Free Zone was signed, Thursday, at the Trade Ministry. This contract is a crucial step towards the effective start of the project on creating this free zone, said Trade Minister, Kalthoum Ben Rejeb, during contract's signing ceremony, adding that it is a public-private partnership project. This project will help develop the region and fight against parallel trade, the minister pointed out. Ben Rejeb spoke of the specificities of the Ben Guerdane region which favors the creation of a commercial and logistics hub capable of increasing the volume of trade between Tunisia and Libya as well as between North Africa and sub-Saharan countries. The free zone could serve as a hub between the two African and European continents. The minister added that «the Ben Guerdane free zone will help get the area's locals involved in various economic, commercial, logistical and leisure activities which will be developed within the framework of this zone. It will also constitute an important component of the continental land trade corridor and an essential lever for the rehabilitation of the Ras Jedir border crossing according to international standards. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse