The second edition of the Libyan-American Development and Reconstruction Forum was inaugurated today in Benghazi. The event was attended by the chairman and members of the Libyan-American Business Council, as well as representatives from various American companies.
The forum, inaugurated by Belgasem Haftar, Director General of the Libya Development and Reconstruction Fund, explored opportunities for American expertise to enter key development sectors and for the establishment of partnerships with local companies and professionals, considering the scale of projects currently underway or planned for Benghazi and other Libyan cities.
Haftar emphasized the importance of moving beyond merely presenting opportunities to actual implementation. He highlighted the need to transform proposed areas of cooperation into tangible programmes and projects that contribute to service improvement, knowledge transfer, and national capacity building.
The Fund said this second edition of the forum reflects its commitment to opening broader avenues for international partnerships and leveraging specialized expertise to support the requirements of the next phase of development and reconstruction in Libya.
U.S. State Department renews its highest-level travel advisory for Libya
It will be recalled that the USLBA business delegation arrived in Benghazi despite the US State Department renewing its highest-level travel advisory for Libya
The advisory, updated on August 31, 2026, keeps Libya at Level 4, the most severe designation.
For those who travel despite the warning, the advisory offers stark guidance: prepare a will and end-of-life instructions, designate insurance beneficiaries, and draft a power of attorney.
The question must then be asked: Why despite this chilling travel advisory do US company personnel still travel to Libya? How accurate of reality on the ground is the travel advisory?