Amr Talaat (pictured), the country’s minister of communications and information technology (ICT), has met Faisal Ahmed Qarqab, chairman of the Libyan Telecoms Holding Company, to discuss collaboration, according to the Ecofin news agency.
ICT in Libya was severely damaged during the country’s civil wars of the past decade. The news from Egypt comes as the United Nations is due to hold a meeting in Berlin today at which international politicians will consider proposals for the withdrawal of foreign forces. The country is hoping to run elections in December.
According to Ecofin, the government of Libya is seeking to revive the sector to keep the pace with global digital transformation.
At their meeting, Talaat and Qarqab agreed on the formation of a joint working team that will develop a collaboration plan as well as a schedule for the implementation of cooperation projects.
Talaat said the initiative will help restore the Libyan telecom and ICT market. It will focus on various segments including the development of digital infrastructure, digital transformation, postal services, capacity building, development of digital skills of youth in various communication sciences and information technology, development of the legal framework of the ICT sector, and training of Libyan workers in cybersecurity.
Egypt said it will grant Libya its expertise to improve access to quality telecom services for the population and increase the financial contribution of the sector to the state’s finances. This is expected to foster the return of international financial exchanges via mobile and online as well as the attraction of new investors.
