The Tripoli-based Ministry of Transport organized a workshop in Tripoli yesterday entitled ‘‘Investment Opportunities for the Transportation Sector’’, in the presence of the Undersecretary for Maritime Transport Affairs, Wissam Al-Idrisi, the Undersecretary for Land Transport Affairs, Fadlallah Al-Shirwi, the Mayor of the Municipality of Tripoli Centre, the Mayor of the Municipality of Al-Khoms, and in the presence of companies specialized in the fields of transportation and construction from China.
The most important of these Chinese companies is the China Harbour, operating in several fields, notably ports and maritime transport in West and North Africa and in the construction of roads, bridges, railways, and the construction and development of airports.
Speaking exclusively to Libya Herald, the Director of the Media Office at the Ministry of Transport, Siraj Al-Hamal, said that organizing such an event is important in presenting the available investment ideas and projects in the transportation sector inside Libya. He said this contributes to moving the wheel of the national economy, especially with the presence of specialized companies from several countries that wish to investing in transportation projects, including Chinese companies.
Chinese companies have had success in African projects
He added that Chinese companies have several investments in a number of African countries and China has achieved clear success in establishing airports and railways in African countries and has directly contributed to the development of the transportation sector.
Al-Hamal indicated that the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport for Maritime Transport Affairs, Wissam Al-Idrisi, put forward the idea of the ”integrated investor system”, which includes the implementation of the project and its investment by the executing company, and after several years, the project revers to the ownership of the state and gives it the right to do what it wants with it (BOT).
Al-Idrisi, Al-Hamal explained, considered this trend as a global pattern in the various fields of investment, which is being studied in depth with the major Chinese companies as well as studying the guarantees for these projects.
Libya will be a strategic partner with Chinese companies
Al-Hamal stressed the willingness of Chinese companies to cooperate in the transport sector, and to study projects that they can invest in in the manner of the ‘‘integrated investor’’, which they have previously worked with in several countries. He said Libya will be a strategic partner with Chinese companies, given its economic potential and great resources that provide added value beneficial to any foreign investor, led by Chinese companies. He stressed that Chinese companies have sufficient experience and highly competitive ability to implement investment projects in the field of transport inside Libya.
