Project Case Study
Providing a private sector development adviser to the British Embassy in Tripoli
Supporting the Libyan Government and its partners with private sector development programmes
A persistent and growing risk of civil unrest, criminality and conflict has accompanied the attempt, following the civil war in 2011, to transition to a peaceful, stable and democratic state in Libya.
Problematic areas include the security sector, public financial management reform, financial accountability and transparency, and job and economic opportunity creation. The UK Government aims to provide targeted support to these three strategic areas to mitigate the risk of conflict and support Libya’s transition to a peaceful and democratic state.
To take forward the UK Government’s jobs and economic opportunities agenda, since April 2013 we have been providing the British Embassy in Tripoli with a private sector advisor. Our consultant provides the Libyan Government and its partners with technical assistance to help design and deliver targeted support to private sector development.
The project has a country-wide focus, overseeing employment and entrepreneurship programmes funded by the Department for International Development, with a particular focus on youth and ex-combatants in locations beyond Tripoli, including Benghazi and Misrata. We research, scope and outline project options for future private sector development initiatives in all of Libya’s major population centres.
We have already seen that more regular communication channels between the public and private sector are being established, raising the awareness in the private sector of the government’s efforts to support its development on the one hand, and strengthening its understanding of private sector needs on the other.
Following a contract extension in October 2013, the project is capitalising on these achievements by further exploring opportunities for public-private dialogue and providing technical assistance to support core institutions such as the Chambers of Commerce and Libya Enterprise, which is Libya’s SME agency, with eight incubators set up to help enterprises through an array of support resources and services.
