The Office of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Incubators at the Tripoli based Ministry of Local Government, in cooperation with Germany’s GIZ, concluded yesterday the work of the second Annual Entrepreneurship Training Camp “Rowad Libya 2024” (Libya Pioneers).
The event was held in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Local Administration, Nasr Al-Mahout, representatives of the European Union, the Embassy of Germany, the winning entrepreneurs, the directors of departments and offices at the Ministry of Local Government, several directors of entrepreneurship and innovation centers in universities in greater Tripoli, and a group of those interested in entrepreneurship affairs.
Supporting SMEs
In his opening speech on the occasion, the Secretary-General stressed that this meeting comes within the framework of the commitment of the Ministry of Local Government to support initiatives that contribute to achieving economic and social development in local communities. Foremost of this, he continued, is supporting small and medium enterprises, which is one of the main axes to stimulate economic growth and create sustainable job opportunities.
SMEs part of strong and interconnected local communities
He added that the Ministry of Local Government believes that small and medium enterprises are not only a locomotive of economic growth but are the cornerstone for building strong and interconnected local communities. He stressed that they are the main and effective tool in achieving a development balance between regions, promoting innovation, and enabling youth and women to participate effectively in the economic process.
Providing a favourable environment for SMEs
The Secretary-General went on to say that the ministry is keen to place support for these projects among its priorities. This, he said, would be achieved by providing a favourable environment for investment, coordinating with the relevant authorities to provide the necessary facilities, and enhancing the role of municipalities in adopting and supporting these initiatives.
At the end of his speech, the Secretary General stressed that the Ministry is working hard to support entrepreneurs and those with innovative ideas in order to enable them to transform their ideas into successful projects that contribute to improving the standard of living of individuals and enhancing the stability of local communities.
For his part, the representative of the Delegation of the European Union to Libya thanked the Ministry of Local Government, municipalities, international organizations, as well as the German Embassy in Libya for their contribution to the advancement of entrepreneurs in Libya, which reflects the common commitment of all.
A symbiotic relationship
The representative of the European Mission pointed out that the relationship between entrepreneurs and the Ministry of Local Government is symbiotic because the relationship is mutual, which helps entrepreneurs on supportive and transparent policies.
The 15 entrepreneurial projects
The event witnessed a debate between the owners of 15 entrepreneurial projects, under the supervision and evaluation of a specialised jury that includes representatives from several government agencies and institutions.
During this, the project owners gave a detailed explanation of their projects, including the goal of the project, the work plan, the marketing strategy, the target customers, the expected revenues, costs, and the required support. The jury then evaluated the projects and ideas and interviewed their owners about all the details of the business.
The winners
After completing the evaluation of the projects, the jury announced and honoured the winners, where Marigan Al-Menfi won the first place for the project of producing alternative green fodder using cultured barley, fern plants and algae
Ahmed Jaballah won the second place for the project of recycling computers and electronic waste in innovative ways. Mounir Dhaifallah won the third place for the project of virtual laboratories for physical and chemical experiments using three-dimensional models to improve education in schools.
The fourth place was won by Diaa Tamer for a project to produce local medical alcohol with high quality and competitive price to meet the needs of the market in southern Libya. The fifth place went to Nadia Balrass Ali for the Full Link Project, a service that combines all social media links for customers in one link to facilitate participation and communication.
