The American Chamber of Commerce in Libya (AmCham Libya) informed Libya Herald that it hosted meetings during the recent visit of U.S. Embassy Commercial and Economic Officer, David Morrison. Morrison was in Tripoli with other Embassy representatives for meetings as well as a July 4 Independence Day celebration, which was the first time the Embassy hosted the celebration in Libya in 11 years.
AmCham member sponsors played a key role in the celebration. Sponsors included Caterpillar, ConocoPhillips, GardaWorld Federal Services, Halliburton, Hill International, MSD (Merck, Sharp & Dohme), Valmont and Visa.
Medical sector
On 3 July Morrison met with AmCham and Rami Elhalwagy, MSD Alliance Lead for Libya, Sudan and Yemen. Elhalwagy gave an update on MSD’s important activities in Libya regarding its vaccines and oncology medicines and the group discussed how the Embassy and AmCham can support MSD in its business activities in Libya.
Localising healthcare in Libya by importing MSD medicines
AmCham President Debbie Hirst said, “MSD provides some world class products, including oncology drugs that have previously not been available in Libya. The Libyan government has recognized that by procuring these medicines, patients that previously needed treatment outside of Libya, can now receive it in country. Patients are currently being repatriated in order to receive their treatment here. We were happy to get an update from MSD about the Libyan budgeting approval process so that we can support them in these life-saving activities.”
Meeting Tripoli Chamber of Commerce
Morrison also met a high-level delegation of officers and members from Tripoli Chamber of Commerce. Tripoli Chamber is one of AmCham’s key partners in sending delegates to trade fairs in the U.S. This meeting was an opportunity to reflect on the trade fair programme and discuss other ways to enhance cooperation between U.S. and Libyan businesses.
AmCham facilitating business visas for U.S. trade fairs and meetings
Ahmed Ghazali, AmCham Vice President said “The AmCham visa interview support programme has been instrumental in allowing more participation by Libyan businesspeople at U.S. trade fairs and other business meetings. The first step to developing stronger ties to U.S. companies is by being able to meet them, and we are grateful that the U.S. Embassy shares our vision of supporting this kind of engagement.”
Meeting the Libyan Council for Oil, Gas and Renewable Energies
The U.S. Embassy Commercial and Economic Officer was also able to meet a group from the Libyan Council for Oil, Gas and Renewable Energies (LCOGRE). LCOGRE represents many of the key companies involved in the Libyan energy sector, and its members participated actively in this year’s OTC (Offshore Technology Conference in Houston) and RE+ renewable energies conference that AmCham sent delegations to.
It was a great opportunity to get feedback from Libyan businesspeople about how AmCham and the Embassy can continue to support their aspirations with U.S. companies, AmCham President Debbie Hirst said.
