The first Libyan Experts Forum, organized by the Ministry of Labour and Rehabilitation, took place in Tripoli from 23 -25 August.
The three-day event, held under the slogan “We Meet to Contribute to Shaping the Future,” saw wide participation from Libyan experts and professionals both within the country and abroad, including specialists from 26 countries.
The forum's opening ceremony was attended by Presidential Council member Abdalla Al-Lafi, Minister of Labour and Rehabilitation Ali Al-Abed, Head of the Audit Bureau Khaled Shakshak, the Chairman of the National Oil Corporation, along with several other ministers and officials, the Director General of the Libyan Authority for Scientific Research, and several academics and experts.
The forum aims to create a national platform that brings together Libyan experts scattered around the world and strengthens communication between them and state institutions. This will allow for leveraging international knowledge and experience to address development challenges and support the development of various sectors.
In an exclusive statement to Libya Herald, Abdalla Wanis Al-Tarhouni, an expert in maritime transport economics, said that the “Libyan Experts” forum represents an important opportunity to reconnect national talent abroad with the development needs within the country and transform the accumulated expertise of Libyans in various disciplines into an effective contribution to decision-making and policy development.
Al-Tarhouni added that the maritime transport and logistics sector is one of the most prominent areas in which Libya has significant opportunities for regional leadership, given its strategic location in the heart of the Mediterranean and its long coastline and capable ports. With development and investment, these ports can play a larger role in regional and international trade.
He explained to Libya Herald that Libya’s location between Europe and Africa gives it the opportunity to transform from merely a country through whose waters major international shipping lanes pass into an active logistics hub connecting the two shores of the Mediterranean and African markets. Al-Tarhouni stated that achieving this vision requires a shift from the traditional approach of treating ports merely as points of entry and exit for goods, to adopting an integrated concept based on building a modern logistics system. This system encompasses port development, connecting them to road and transportation networks, establishing free zones and logistics centres, modernizing legislation and digital services, and developing human capital.
He emphasized that Libya needs a long-term national strategy for transport and logistics, developed with the participation of government institutions, the private sector, and Libyan experts both within the country and abroad. He noted that the expertise gathered at the "Libyan Experts Forum" can form a significant knowledge base for providing specialized and actionable insights.
He added that the true benefit of these forums will not be achieved simply by exchanging ideas, but rather through establishing permanent institutional mechanisms that connect experts with state projects and economic sectors, ensuring that proposals and recommendations are translated into practical policies and programs.
The forum comes within the framework of the Ministry of Labour and Rehabilitation's efforts to strengthen communication with Libyan experts abroad and benefit from their scientific and professional expertise, at a time when the country is striving to develop its economic sectors and enhance the efficiency of its institutions.
While Libyan experts from 26 countries are meeting in Tripoli, Tarhouni believes that the real challenge lies in the ability of institutions to invest in these minds and experiences, especially in sectors where Libya has clear competitive advantages, foremost among them maritime transport and logistics, which could open up new horizons for the Libyan economy that go beyond traditional dependence on oil.
Libya Experts Forum Begins in Tripoli with Diaspora Participation
