Tunisia scores 2.12 out of 4 on the Africa AI Governance Index 2026, which places it in the Developing tier and ranks it 12 of 54. The eight pillar scores are fellow-assigned values from the Regional Summary, and indicators are not scored. Governance and Regulation is the strongest pillar at 2.60 and Implementation and Impact is the weakest at 1.60. The composite sits above the North Africa mean of 1.57 and the Africa mean of 1.33. Desk research in October 2026, unverified by fellows and not used for the scores, found a data protection regime dating from 2004, a replacement bill pending before Parliament, and a national AI strategy for 2026 to 2030 presented in outline without formal adoption.
P1Strategy & Vision2.44 / 4Developing
Strategy and Vision scores 2.44, in the Developing tier, a fellow-assigned value. Desk research in October 2026 found evidence on three indicators. Communication Technologies Minister Sofiane Hemissi presented 'the main outlines' of a national AI strategy for 2026 to 2030 at a ministerial council, reported in August 2026, and no formal adoption was found (S1.1, S1.2). He also presented Tunisia's AI strategy at the WSIS ministerial meeting in Geneva in July 2026 (S1.3). An earlier AI plan signed by four ministries was reported in February 2022 (S1.2). Seven indicators are not determined. No budget, detailed calendar or performance indicators have been made public (S1.4, S1.8, S1.9), and no review mechanism was found (S1.10).
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P2Governance & Regulation2.60 / 4Developing
Governance and Regulation scores 2.60, in the Developing tier, a fellow-assigned value and the highest of the eight. Desk research in October 2026 found that Organic Act No. 2004-63 established the data protection regime and its authority, the INPDP (G2.2). A draft organic bill, PLO 095/2025, was pending before Parliament; it would add controls on AI-driven profiling (G2.1). The African Union status list dated 2 February 2026 records Tunisia's signature of the Malabo Convention on 23 April 2019, with no ratification (G2.7). The research recorded a confirmed absence of extraterritorial provisions under the 2004 Act (G2.9). No explicit AI mandate for the INPDP and no dedicated AI governance body were located; both are not determined (G2.3, G2.5).
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P3Infrastructure & Data1.90 / 4Emerging
Infrastructure and Data scores 1.90, in the Emerging tier, a fellow-assigned value. Desk research in October 2026 found 5 data centre facilities listed in Data Center Map's directory (I3.1) and 2 cable landing points, Bizerte and Kelibia, carrying 5 international cable systems (I3.3). International bandwidth reached 1,210 Gb/s in 2022, a figure the research calls likely outdated (I3.4). Organic Law No. 2004-63 requires prior INPDP authorisation for transfers abroad (I3.8). The National Cybersecurity Agency awards N-Cloud and G-Cloud labels to Tunisian hosts under Decree-Law 2023-17 (I3.10). The research recorded a confirmed absence of any hyperscaler cloud region in Tunisia (I3.5). Data centre capacity, GPU or HPC access, localisation and surveillance spending are not determined (I3.2, I3.6, I3.7, I3.9).
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P4Human Capital2.20 / 4Developing
Human Capital scores 2.20, in the Developing tier, a fellow-assigned value. Desk research in October 2026 found 930 AI scholarly publications with a Tunisian affiliation for 2024 (H4.4). The baccalauréat includes a dedicated computer science track that upper-secondary students can choose (H4.6). The public Al Khawarizmi computing centre trained 500 teachers and students on AI tools in summer 2025 (H4.7). Modern Standard Arabic and Tunisian Arabic are supported in the language tools checked (H4.10). Six indicators are not determined. A report cited by allAfrica says Tunisia trains about 1,400 AI specialists a year, but the research found no national count of university programmes (H4.3). No labour transition framework and no informal economy assessment were found (H4.8, H4.9).
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P5Innovation & Ecosystem2.20 / 4Developing
Innovation and Ecosystem scores 2.20, in the Developing tier, a fellow-assigned value. Desk research in October 2026 found evidence on three indicators. The TechBehemoths directory lists 7 companies in Tunisia that provide AI services, which the research treats as a lower bound (N5.1). The standards body INNORPI is an observing member of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42, with no voting role; no ISO/IEC 42001 certification or national adoption was found (N5.7, N5.8). Seven indicators are not determined. The Central Bank of Tunisia has run a fintech sandbox since 2020, which is not AI-specific (N5.4). No AI investment figure, AI incubator count, AI safety evaluation facility, risk assessment framework or university-industry partnership was identified (N5.2, N5.3, N5.6, N5.9, N5.10).
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P6Ethics & Inclusion2.00 / 4Developing
Ethics and Inclusion scores 2.00, in the Developing tier, a fellow-assigned value. Desk research in October 2026 recorded a confirmed absence on four indicators: no impact assessment framework (E6.1), no bias audit requirement (E6.2), no transparency and explainability framework (E6.3) and no government consultation of civil society on AI (E6.8). It found evidence on two indicators. The INPDP is the complaint body under Organic Act 2004-63, which gives no right against automated decision-making (E6.4). The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the ICT ministry held a national symposium in Tunis on 24 September 2025 (E6.7). Judicial remedy, an advisory body, African ethical references and youth participation are not determined (E6.5, E6.6, E6.9, E6.10).
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P7Regional Integration1.70 / 4Emerging
Regional Integration scores 1.70, in the Emerging tier, a fellow-assigned value. Desk research in October 2026 found Tunisia on the official signatory list of the Africa Declaration on Artificial Intelligence of 4 April 2025 (R7.2); no formal national process of alignment with the African Union Continental AI Strategy was found (R7.1). A judicial investigation opened in August 2024 into a campaign video described as AI-generated; the AI generation was not forensically verified (R7.6, R7.7). Six indicators are not determined. Tunisia is a member of AMU, COMESA and CEN-SAD, with no AI coordination activity found (R7.3). It is not on the list of national statements from the Global Dialogue on AI Governance of 6 and 7 July 2026 (R7.9).
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P8Implementation & Impact1.60 / 4Emerging
Implementation and Impact scores 1.60, in the Emerging tier, a fellow-assigned value and the lowest of the eight. In the desk research of October 2026, none of the 10 indicators carries an 'Evidence found' label. The research recorded a confirmed absence on two: La Presse reported on 30 August 2026 that no formal AI rules exist in healthcare (M8.2), and that credit scoring and fraud detection are emerging without formal AI rules (M8.7). Eight indicators are not determined. No AI governance budget was reported; a national supercomputer costing 32 million dinars was installed at CCK in July 2026, which the research classes as compute infrastructure (M8.1). No government AI registry or monitoring report was found (M8.4, M8.5).
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