Foreign direct investment in Tunisia rose by 27 percent in the first quarter of 2018 year compared with 2017, official figures showed on Thursday. The figure for the period from January to March was $230 million, according to the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency. The figure was driven by industrial investment, which grew by 45 percent, Reuters reported. The new law in Tunisia gives foreign investors more flexibility to transfer funds, including profits, out of the country, which also helps establishing a fund for investment which aids in financing infrastructure projects, and funding. This encourages investors to launch big projects in marginalised areas of the country, Reuters added. Prime Minister Youssef Chahed last week ordered the cancellation of the many administrative licences that hinder the government’s efforts to attract investors.