The Tripoli based Ministry of Economy and Trade reported the closing ceremony for the Skills and Solutions Hackathon project was held yesterday, at University of Tripoli.
The project was sponsored by the Ministry of Economy and Trade, in partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and funded by the European Union and the French government.
In his address at the ceremony, the Minister of Economy and Trade Mohamed Hwej commended the efforts of the implementing team in Libya, who oversaw the hackathon project within the EU4SKILLS programme, and the University of Tripoli administration for its effective cooperation in supporting entrepreneurs and innovators.
He noted that a knowledge-based economy relies on supporting young people and those with creative ideas. He reiterated his call to the Ministry of Higher Education, universities, and international partners to support entrepreneurs and empower entrepreneurship in Libya by developing training methods that contribute to enhancing digital transformation and leveraging the green and blue economies to diversify the national economy.
Aims of the Skills and Solutions Hackathon project
The Skills and Solutions Hackathon project aimed to prepare and qualify graduates for the job market. It encompassed three main themes: employment platforms, the blue and green economy, and financial inclusion and fintech.
185 teams from 54 educational institutions across the country applied to participate, with 12 teams from seven different cities—Tripoli, Al-Bayda, Misrata, Ajdabiya, Ghadames, Al-Asaba, and Sabha—reaching the final ceremony.
The selection committees included representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Trade, the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Technical Education, the Economic and Social Development Council, the Libyan Federation of Industry, and business and entrepreneurship centers and incubators at the universities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Gharyan, and Fezzan.
The ceremony was attended by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy and Trade, the President of the University of Tripoli, an advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chargé d’affaires of the French Embassy in Libya, the Director of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Libya, the Executive Director of the Libyan Union of Industry, and the Programme Director of the French implementing agency.
