article: The protests led to the departure of the country's former ruler, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and sparked the wider Arab Spring across North Africa and the Middle East. However, despite the removal of President Ben Ali, economic reforms in Tunisia since 2011 have stalled due to continuing political unrest, which dragged on until the end of last year. Yet with a moderate, interim government of independent figures appointed in December, and the country's new constitution being agreed in January, there is now renewed optimism that pro-business changes will be forthcoming, to enable entrepreneurship and small businesses to flourish. The sense of confidence has been strengthened by backing from the World Bank, which last month awarded Tunisia loans totalling $1.2bn (Â£719m) to help drive economic and political reform. The World Bank said that this figure included $750m "in support of government reforms to level the economic playing field and promote growth and job creation", and $100m to increase lending to small and medium-sized companies. For most Tunisian entrepreneurs, reforms to make their jobs easier cannot come quickly enough. Ramzi el Fekih, 46, says the key to helping new businesses launch and grow in Tunisia is a better judicial system. Mr el Fekih is chief executive of Viamobile, a mobile phone banking and payments app. He launched the business in Tunisia in 2009 after returning to the country following 25 years working abroad, including 20 years in the mobile phone technology sector in California. "The biggest difference between working here and in California is the lack of trust," says Mr el Fekih. "People try to protect themselves, because they have been had before, but it becomes very constraining." "There is so much control, that we can't move, but what we need is a judicial system that punishes people who don't follow the law." Mr el Fekih says he would also like to see much less regulation and bureaucracy, complaining that it took him two years to get Viamobile approved by the country's central bank. But despite his frustrations, he says he has no regrets about to returning to his homeland. "I really believe that there is a huge potential in Tunisia and Tunisian entrepreneurs," he says. Mr el Fekih is hoping that now, with the new constitution in place, the Tunisian state will move fast on reforms. His analogy is borrowed from the world of mobile technology. "What politicians can do is design an easy and accessible operating system, so entrepreneurs can follow and create applications," he says. "Now is the time." For fellow entrepreneur Zied Jallouli, 29, the big problem for start-ups in Tunisia is securing financial backing. "Raising funds here for a big idea is really, really tough," says Mr Jallouli, shaking his head. He and his business partner have created a smartphone app called Disrupt CK, which they claim can help people to buy clothes or other consumer goods similar to those they see in a film or TV show. Mr Jallouli says you simply point your smartphone at the television, press the app button, and it will produce
summary: Three years ago thousands of Tunisians protested on the streets, demanding, among other things, more economic opportunity.