I wish all the members of the Libya British Business Council a very Happy New Year. I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable Christmas and have recharged your batteries for 2024.

Last year was a good year for the LBBC. In June we took a substantial business delegation to Benghazi for the first time and received a very warm welcome from all the companies and organisations we met. In London we held our annual reception in the House of Lords with a keynote speech by the Minister for the Middle East Lord Tariq Ahmed. As part of our routine activities, we organised 10 webinars with key Libyan figures who kept our members up-to-date with the latest developments in the Libyan economy and commercial environment. We now have a new membership management system which can be used by members to contact each other and a reminder our services include visa support and member introductions.

We have ambitious plans for 2024. In February we will take a further trade delegation to Tripoli and Misrata, a visit that was postponed from November because of the tragic floods in Derna. We hope to take a strong group of members and I am sure that they will find visiting Tripoli valuable and productive. We will also host a lunch at the House of Lords on 1 February. Later in the year I hope we can arrange another visit to Benghazi.

Our central aim will continue to be to provide a comprehensive service to our members and thereby to promote bilateral trade and investment between the UK and Libya. To do so we will welcome new members and ensure that we maintain strong links to all the key economic organisations and private sector companies in both Libya and the UK. As part of our aim to build stronger ties with the private sector in Libya, we hope to recruit more Libyan companies as members.

Our key activities will remain:

  • Networking: face-to-face meetings and receptions and visits to Libya.
  • Information: monthly webinars with expert speakers, regular high-quality business reports, up-to-date information (follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and @LBBCnews). If you would like us to support your marketing on our website and social media, we would welcome news of your contracts and other business developments
  • Services: lobbying key political and economic decision-takers about trade opportunities and support for visa applications.
  • Outreach: co-operation with the British Embassy in Tripoli, the Libyan Embassy in London and other key economic organisations and companies.

We are always happy to hear from members who want to suggest additional activities and services.

Of course all this activity takes place against the continuing political uncertainty in Libya. As a non-political organisation focussed solely on trade, that backdrop is something we will continue to follow closely and navigate carefully.

I look forward to seeing you all either remotely or face-to-face very soon.

Peter Millett,Chairman, LBBC