Nearly 200 Tunisian-Libyan B2B meetings are taking place on June 19- 20 in Tunis, with the participation of 30 Libyan companies and 80 Tunisian exporting enterprises. Libyan companies are operating in the sectors of agriculture, the agri-business, construction and public works, packaging and cosmetics. These meetings fit within the implementing the memorandum of understanding on the joint work strategy signed on November 26, 2022 by the Exports Promotion Centre (French: CEPEX) and the Libyan Export Promotion Centre (LEPC), said CEPEX CEO Mourad Ben Hassine. The aim is to boost partnership and trade and industrial integration and explore joint export opportunities to African markets, Ben Hassine said. This in addition to gaining access jointly to new international markets and sharing expertise. The agenda for H2 includes a joint business mission to Senegal in October and a joint Tunisian-Libyan participation (November 21-27) in the 3rd edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2023) in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. A joint business mission to Niger is also scheduled for next December, Ben Hassine added. Mohammed Ali Al-Deeb, Director General, of the LEPC, said Tunisia is Libya's first Arab partner. Libyan consumers trust Tunisian products, he added. Al-Deeb outlined the challenges facing Libyan operators wishing to access Tunisian markets. Libyan products are meant either for consumption or use as raw material in Tunisia or else for export to other countries through Tunisia. Topping the agenda are also field trips. The official delegation of the Libyan Centre and representatives of Libyan companies operating in the agri-food industry are expected to visit the International Food Show Africa 2023 (June 20-23 at el Kram Exhibition Centre). The joint working strategy is premised on the organisation of business missions so as to scale up partnership in marketing and create opportunities for cooperation and the exchange of experiences in holding and supporting business missions. A stronger presence of the two countries in the various African markets is likewise sought. Libya is Tunisia's strategic economic and trade partner with a trade volume of over 3 billion dinars, that is 970 million dollars in 2022, organisers said. Over 1,000 Tunisian enterprises export their products to Libya. .

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse