Tunis, 24 July 2025 (ECA) – The ECA office for North Africa concluded in on Thursday 24 July in Tunis (Tunisia) a capacity building workshop under the theme: “Unlocking Libya’s private sector potential – towards an active role in AfCFTA application” held in collaboration with the Libyan Ministry of Economy and Trade.
ECA held the training for the benefit of Libyan Trade Support Institutions responsible for export promotion, the private sector, government entities, and exporting companies and a selection of company representatives. The four-day workshop aimed to increase their capacity for effective regional and international trade integration with a focus on African markets.
Participants covered aspects such as foundational understanding of international trade concepts and tools; policies to increase the exporters base in Libya; key requirements for Libyan businesses to improve their capacity for exports; potential export markets for Libyan products; options for the promotion of exports in foreign markets; tools to develop comprehensive export plans and the evaluation of international markets and potential buyers; and essential concepts and functions of international trade logistics.
Libya’s economy remains heavily reliant on oil production and imports while its private sector’s contribution to the economic growth and job creation remains very limited. Strengthening Libya’s non-oil sector can play a key role in diversifying the national economy and improving economic resilience to international price fluctuations. In this regard, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) presents a great opportunity for Libya to access larger markets, diversify its exports and strengthen its trade competitiveness.
Libyan Trade Support Institutions and governmental entities in collaboration with the private sector can play a pivotal role in achieving these goals by addressing business climate weaknesses, fostering a supportive policy environment and enhancing institutional and human capacities for export promotion.
This initiative comes in support to Libyan efforts to diversify the economy and accelerate the implementation of the AfCFTA for a better regional and international trade integration.
This workshop builds on the results of a previous training held in June 2025 under the theme “Opening the Door for Libyan Exports: Essential Role of Trade Support Institutions and Suggested Policy Tools for Supporting Libyan Exports.” and is part of a series of workshops held by the ECA office for North Africa for the benefit of Libyan officials since 2022.
Media queries
Houda Filali-Ansary - Communications Officer
ECA Office for North Africa
E-mail: filali-ansary@un.org
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org