TUNIS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A conference held here on Thursday discussed ways to tap the resources of highly skilled Tunisian expatriates, hoping to further contribute to the country's development.
Organized by the office of Tunisians living abroad, the meeting discussed several issues including setting up an efficient data collecting system and the use of modern communication technology.
In his opening address to the conference, Tunisia's Minister of Social Affairs, Solidarity and Tunisians Abroad Naceur Gharbi said his ministry had identified some 8,348 highly skilled Tunisian expatriates currently living in Europe, North America and Asia.
He stressed the need to further involve those elites in attracting foreign direct investments in scientific research, technological transfer, business activities and so on.
More than 1 million Tunisians out of a population of 10.2 million live abroad, mostly in European countries. Remittances from Tunisian expatriates amounted to over 8 billion dinars (about 6.7 billion U.S. dollars) in 2009.
