At the Libyan Experts Forum: Libya can become a regional maritime transport and logistics power

Libya has the potential to become a regional power in maritime transport and logistics, according to experts who gathered at the first Libyan Experts Forum in Tripoli. The three-day event, organized by the Ministry of Labour and Rehabilitation under the slogan “We Meet to Contribute to Shaping the Future,” aimed to connect Libyan professionals and leverage their international expertise for national development.

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The “Libyan Experts” forum represents an important opportunity to reconnect national talent abroad with the development needs within the country and transform the accumulated expertise of Libyans in various disciplines into an effective contribution to decision-making and policy development.

Abdalla Wanis Al-Tarhouni, an expert in maritime transport economics, stated that Libya's strategic location in the Mediterranean, with its long coastline and capable ports, presents significant opportunities. He believes the country can transition from being a mere transit point for international shipping lanes to an active logistics hub connecting Europe and Africa. This transformation, however, requires more than just treating ports as entry and exit points.

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Libya’s location between Europe and Africa gives it the opportunity to transform from merely a country through whose waters major international shipping lanes pass into an active logistics hub connecting the two shores of the Mediterranean and African markets.

Al-Tarhouni emphasized the need for an integrated approach, including port development, enhanced road and transportation networks, the establishment of free zones and logistics centers, modernized legislation, digital services, and human capital development. He called for a long-term national strategy for transport and logistics, developed collaboratively by government institutions, the private sector, and Libyan experts both domestically and abroad. The insights gathered at the forum are seen as a crucial knowledge base for this endeavor.

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Achieving this vision requires a shift from the traditional approach of treating ports merely as points of entry and exit for goods, to adopting an integrated concept based on building a modern logistics system.