Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in GDP growth continued through positive trade relations with the European Union, a revitalised tourism industry and sustained agricultural production. Privatization, increasing foreign investment, improvements in government efficiency and reduction of the trade deficit presented challenges for the future. The 2010/11 Global Competitiveness Report (Davos World Economic Forum) ranked Tunisia 1st in Africa and 32nd globally out of 139 countries but it dropped to 40th in 2011/12 as a result of political instability and was not ranked in 2012/13. According to the Oxford Business Group, Tunisia's economy was likely to grow from 2008 due to its diversified industries. Committed to
Hatem Ben Salem Hatem Ben Salem Hatem Ben Salem is a Tunisian politician. He was the Minister of Education under former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Hatem Ben Salem was born on February 8, 1956. He received a PhD in Law from the University of Paris and the agrégation from the University of Tunis. From 1996 to 2000, he was the Tunisian Ambassador to Senegal, then Guinea, Gambia, Cap Vert, Turkey, and then to the United Nations in Geneva. He is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London and the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg. He