SESRIC, OECD and Libya Enterprise organised a Consultative Meeting on “SME Development Strategy Project for Libya”
Date: 29-30 July 2015
Venue: Istanbul - Türkiye

The Statistical, Economic, Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Libya Enterprise, organised a consultative meeting to discuss and review the research conducted for the diagnostic study as part of the Libya SME Development Strategy Project on 29-30 July 2015, in Istanbul, Republic of Turkey. Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) provided local hospitality throughout the meeting.

The consultative meeting started with opening remarks by Mr. Florian Theus, Project Co-ordinator at OECD, Mr. Abdelnasr Abouzkieh, Director of Libya Enterprise and H.E. Ambassador Musa KULAKLIKAYA, Director General of SESRIC.

In his opening remarks, Amb. KULAKLIKAYA highlighted the on-going projects and programmes of SESRIC for Libya. He also emphasized the importance of the contribution of international community to the process of transition and restructuring process of Libya and mentioned that the meeting will provide a positive incentive towards studies within the framework of SME-based development model in Libya.

The consultative meeting, which is the last of the meeting series, continued with several sessions and included presentations by experts, academicians and NGO representatives from Libya, from Turkey and from several other countries. The experience and knowledge of Turkey was also shared with the participants through the representatives of several Turkish Institutions that were invited by SESRIC.

The SME Development Strategy project for Libya seeks to enhance entrepreneurship and SME development by strengthening the overall legal and institutional framework. As the first step, a diagnostic study is being developed which aims to help build an evidence base for targeted SME policy-making in post-revolutionary Libya by analysing demand-side and supply-side dimensions of private sector development, in particular SME development, in Libya. The study will identify characteristics and constraints for SMEs, as well as gaps in the institutional framework and policy-making to address those constraints, for new start-ups as well as existing SMEs. The main focus is on structural issues related to SME development, with a view to provide an input to the future government’s post-conflict economic development agenda.