EU4PSL – Support programme for the development of the Libyan private sector

1. Building the capacities of Libyan institutions to support development

EU4PSL aims to build the capacity of Libyan institutions to support the economic development of the country. To do so, the project team is building the capacities of the staff of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance to improve the impact that their work has on supporting private sector development in Libya. That is why workshops are organised, such as the training on strategic planning which took place in Tunis on January 29^th-31^th 2020.

The project team is also working on:

• Improving Libya’s ranking in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index;
• Creating a single window to group together the administrative formalities under one roof;
• Creating an export assistance window to support and facilitate access to foreign markets for Libyan importers and producers;
• Facilitating the Advisory and Advocacy Functions of Chambers of Commerce;
• Assisting in the Development of the Chamber of Commerce “White Book” of Business Top Common Priority Reforms Recommendations;
• Supporting the Digital Economy Transformation;
• Supporting the establishment of the Libyan economic modeling within ECOMOD network 

2. Supporting the economic empowerment of young people and women

Entrepreneurship will be encouraged for young Libyan and women through the following activities:

• Organisation of workshops to build the capacities of the civil society organisations which support entrepreneurs;
• Mentoring to empowering women “from the idea to the take-off”;
• Organisation of national business plan competitions every year in partnership with universities;
• Financial support and training of 12 start-ups led by women every year by seed money;
• Setting up of two pilot sales point (« the Containers ») one in Tripoli and one in Benghazi.

In late October 2019, following a call for proposals, a jury composed of representatives of the Libyan Ministry of Planning and the Expertise France project team selected six civil society organisations in three regions in Libya.

These six civil society organisations (CSOs) will initially benefit from comprehensive training. They will subsequently be responsible for mentoring five women entrepreneurs to help them develop their respective companies, with support for a wide range of activities: business plans, company registration, sales pitch, marketing and communication strategies, accounting. This will allow the women entrepreneurs to benefit from both practical advice and group dynamics, which will gradually contribute to the creation of a network.

At the end of January 2020, 12 Libyan female entrepreneurs across Libya were awarded a prize of 5000 euros each at the awards ceremony "Women Entrepreneurs Contest". The winning business ideas cover organic foods, ceramics, waste management, photography, services, dental prothesis, organic soaps and finally paramedical assistance.

In total 30 women from all regions of Libya participated in the contest, with innovative and creative business ideas. The 30 participants of this event will continue to benefit from a one full year of capacity building from local civil society organizations who have partnered with EU4PSL.

3. Improving access to financing for microenterprises, SMEs and start-ups

Accessing financing is key to enable SMEs and start-ups to launch and continue their activity. In this sector, EU4PSL contributes to:

• Improving governance and internal control;
• Improving the services offered by the Libyan Credit Bureau;
• Creating a venture capital fund;
• Reactivating the National Guarantee Fund;
• Improving access to financing to Libyan medium and small-sized businesses.

4. Business and Education

In order to connect better education and entrepreneurship, EU4PSL helps to the creation of a dedicated unit in the Ministry of Education and in 10 universities.

Moreover, EU4PSL contributes to:

• Creating Junior Enterprises in universities, that is to say associations which help students to make the transition to the world of work, at the service of their occupational integration;
• Upgrading the Entrepreneurship Certificate into a bachelor-accredited course;
• Expanding the results of LIBUS, the first online business school dedicated to Libyan entrepreneurs.