The interview highlights AmCham Libya's role in facilitating business opportunities for American companies in the Libyan market by providing essential on-the-ground support, enhancing understanding of the Libyan market through comprehensive guidance, and promoting trade and investment through key initiatives like bringing Libyan businesspeople to U.S. trade shows. It emphasizes AmCham Libya's efforts in facilitating dialogue between U.S. businesses and Libyan authorities, resolving bureaucratic issues, and showcases recent successes in business development. Additionally, it outlines future plans to further enhance U.S.-Libya business relations, including delegations to U.S. events and organizing U.S. trade delegations to Libya, with the U.S. Embassy's increased presence expected to positively impact their mission.
1. With your extensive background in emerging markets and experience in both government and private sectors, how does AmCham Libya facilitate business opportunities for American companies in the Libyan market?
Libya is unique in that there is a huge potential for commercial engagement, but it is a complex market and there are not a lot of on-the-ground resources that companies can access for support. AmCham Libya can provide this type of support which can often be the key element to closing a deal.
2- What role does AmCham Libya play in enhancing the understanding of the Libyan market among American companies, particularly those unfamiliar with the region?
AmCham can provide a type of A to Z roadmap for companies looking to engage in Libya: from guidance on how to set up a company, avoiding common risks that companies can face, giving insight on who the real decision makers are, and support through every phase of the business cycle.
3- AmCham Libya aims to promote trade and investment between the U.S. and Libya. Can you elaborate on the key initiatives and programs that AmCham Libya has implemented to support this mission?
Besides providing support to its members on a regular basis, in the past years AmCham has also been focusing on bringing Libyan businesspeople to trade shows in the U.S. For a long time the U.S. has been a difficult destination for Libyans to reach, and it is now a priority of the U.S. Embassy to support commercial engagement. We believe that the first step to Libyans buying U.S. goods and services is for them to know what is available, and attending trade fairs is an excellent way to achieve this.
4- AmCham Libya plays a crucial role in facilitating dialogue between U.S. businesses and Libyan authorities. Can you provide examples of successful engagements or partnerships that have been facilitated by AmCham Libya in recent years?
AmCham regularly attends meetings between its members and their Libyan institutional clients. We are able to pass the message that this engagement is supported by the U.S. Embassy, which strengthens the relationships our members are building. We can play the role of door opener, if necessary. We can also follow up on any payment or other bureaucratic issues that our members face. Our engagement is tailored to what each member needs.
5- AmCham Libya aims to bridge the gap between American and Libyan businesses. Can you describe any recent success stories where AmCham’s involvement led to significant business development or investment in Libya?
AmCham Libya has led delegations to several significant U.S. trade fairs in the last years including World of Concrete, Offshore Technology Conference and Americas Food & Beverage. Often, it was the first time the Libyan delegates had visited the U.S. Visiting the U.S. and participating in trade shows such as these is transformational for commercial engagement.
6- What future plans or upcoming projects does AmCham Libya have in place to further enhance U.S.-Libya business relations, and how can members get involved in these initiatives?
We continue to support delegations of Libyan businesspeople to U.S. events. This has been a very popular activity of AmCham. We are also looking to organize more U.S. company trade delegations to Libya. The U.S. Embassy is making an effort to be more present in Libya as well, and that will have a very positive impact on our mission going forward.
