On Friday 16 June 2023, the Arab-Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (ABLCC), represented by its Secretary General, Mr. Qaisar Hijazin, received a delegation of business leaders and representatives of the General Libyan Union of Chambers, headed by HE Dr. Amel Jerary, Ambassador of the State of Libya to the Kingdom of Belgium and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and Mr. Mohamed Raied, Chairman of the Board of the General Libyan Union of Chambers.

On this occasion, the Arab-Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Embassy of Libya in Brussels, Brussels Enterprises Commerce & Industry (BECI), and hub.brussels (the Brussels Business Support Agency), with the kind support of the Walloon Export and Foreign Investment Agency (AWEX) and Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT), organized a Business Seminar with around 12 Libyan representatives and more than 30 Belgian companies in the beautiful premises of BECI.

The visit of the Libyan economic delegation came after a successful online gathering that took place one month before, on 11 May 2023, organized by the Arab-Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, and during which the potential of Belgo-Libyan relations was discussed. Both sides then agreed to follow up on the matter, which quickly led to the visit of the Libyan delegation to Belgium.

The main objective of this gathering was to shed light on the importance of Belgo-Libyan relations and explore further avenues of collaboration whilst contributing accurate and up-to-date information on the various developments in Libya thanks to the expertise and unique insight of their distinguished guests.

HE Dr. Amel Jerary pointed out that is important to think about the next step, and suggested to create a Libyan-Belgian - "Friends of Libya" - initiative in coordination with the chambers of commerce in order to promote business on both sides and create the right connections. This with a view to open doors and lead to opportunities that would otherwise be difficult to reach. Mr. Qaisar Hijazin positively welcomed the suggestion.

It offered a great opportunity for the various participants to gain a better insight on opportunities offered by Libya thanks to the presentations made by HE Dr. Amel Jerary and Mr. Mohamed Raied, who presented the actual situation in Libya along with accurate trade figures.

H.E. François DUMONT, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Tunisia and Libya, reiterated Belgium ‘s commitment to enhancing and strengthening economic ties with Libya. Pointing out that, statistically speaking, in 2022, Belgium exported to Libya for an amount €1.291 billion. For the same period, Libya exported to Belgium for an amount of €174 million, mainly from the sectors of mineral products and base metals.

Mr. Qaisar Hijazin, Secretary General of the ABLCC, was glad to moderate the whole panel discussion on economic relations between Belgium and Libya as well as business opportunities.

He then welcomed Dr. Patrick VAN ENDE, CEO of Transmare Chemie and Mr. Thomas BUISSIÈRE, Director for Libya at Amarante, who both shared their positive experience with Libya in the form of a short interview and gave practical tips to the participants.

Based on the testimonies, we can say that the overall situation in Libya has improved and that it is quite easy to do business in Libya. It is however important to find the right partner and to build a solid relationship with them. They prefer face to face exchanges, so it is important to go onsite with your partner who will help you better understand the Libyan Market. Libya is a strategic gateway location to Central Africa via strategic seaports.

The walking lunch that ensued - offered by hub.brussels- presented a good opportunity for the participants to discuss in person with members of the Libyan delegation, to develop business relations, and to lay the foundation for future collaboration.

Yallah, ready for the next step?