Minister Ali Al-Reda on Labour Market Reform and Rebuilding Strong Partnerships
Interview by Robert Čoban
In this InFocus Libya edition of Diplomacy & Commerce magazine, we delve into an engaging conversation with Ali Al-Abed Al-Reda Abu Azoum, Libya’s Minister of Labour. Focusing on reforming the labour market, reintegrating former fighters into civilian roles, and fostering international cooperation, the Minister outlines Libya’s ambitious economic growth and stability plans. Highlighting Libya’s rich potential and the importance of rebuilding connections with nations like Serbia, this interview offers insight into the country’s efforts to shape a brighter future for its workforce and economy.
How many foreign workers do you have in Libya?
Currently, we have about 3 million foreign workers in Libya, mainly from Egypt and African countries: Chad, Mali, Ghana, Tunisia, and the Sahel and Saharan countries. About a million of them are registered; the others are not. We are now forcing people to register. I faced this situation when I became a minister. They enter Libya according to agreements with corporations.
And second, we have 2,4 million workers for government and corporations in Libya. And the Libyan market is very strong because we face both the European continent and Africa, and we have commercial ties with both. The Mediterranean coast is about 2,000 km long. And the private section has also grown. Now, after several years of the Government of National Unity, we are delivering. We have stability because the war has been over since October 2020. Now we have four years without war, it’s good.
We also have many ex-fighters trying to reintegrate and rehabilitate; we have a programme cooperating with the Ministry of Defence. We train thousands of young people for other civilian jobs. They enter the more significant and smaller projects. We trained more than 7,000 young people. Now, they are returning, and they go mainly to the private sector.
We are training thousands of young people to reintegrate into civilian jobs, helping them contribute to Libya’s growing private sector
What percentage of the Libyan economy is state-owned, and what is private-owned? 50/50?
It is nowhere near 50-50%. Three hundred thousand people are working in the private sector here. However, during Gaddafi, there were almost no private companies. Private companies started during the 1990s, but very few.
And tell me, you are mentioning this migrant situation. Is Libya still on this way from Africa to Lampedusa to Europe, or is it from Tunisia closer to this route?
I have no precise information because the Italian Minister has a number; we don’t count people living in Libya. However, as I see the indication, more people from Tunisia have also arrived in Lampedusa than from Libya. And now, the government is trying to stop them and fight illegal immigration. But now, we are cooperating with IOM; IOM is also working in Libya, and they have many procedures and regulations to stop them. We have signed agreements with the Ministers of Labour in Niger and with Chad and Egypt. Last week, I signed the deal with the Minister of Labour in Chad. And I want to ask you about the Serbian companies; they had a very strong presence in Libya.
Our positive experiences with Serbian workers in the past motivate us to rebuild and strengthen these partnerships for the future
In the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, Serbia, Yugoslavia, and Yugoslavian companies had a significant presence, starting with Tito and after Tito. Unfortunately, everything stopped in the 1990s when there was war in our country, but lots of Africa had Serbian workers all over Africa. How’s the situation now?
We had positive experiences, and we would like to continue with them. We would like some nurses and doctors from Serbia—we sent some staff to Serbia to interview people who applied from there. We are eager to rebuild the country, and our positive experiences from the past are crucial.
