Libyan Economic Development Board to be Launched 22 February

[tolibya]

On Thursday, 22nd February, there will be a celebration to mark the launch of the Libyan Economic Development Board (LEDB). As reported in the Tripoli Post, the LEDB was established by decree of the General People’s Committee on 8th January 2007.

Thursday’s event will be attended by senior government officials and a range of international media representatives. Professor Michael Porter, the renowned competitiveness expert from Harvard University, will also be present at the occasion.

The foundation of the LEDB is one of the key initiatives resulting from the work of the National Economic Strategy (NES).

In cooperation with Monitor Group, an international strategy and economic consultancy, the NES has performed a detailed study of Libya’s competitiveness and suggested initiatives to improve the country’s economy.

The celebration of the LEDB’s launch will be in the Corinthia Hotel. It will be followed in the afternoon by the graduation of over 100 students from the NES’s Leadership Development Program, organized by the Monitor Group over the past few months.

These students have completed a series of courses in business strategy and management theory, taught by some of the world’s leading business professors and practitioners from institutions such as Duke University, Harvard Business School, and the University of Rottingen, as well as from Monitor Group.

The day’s events will also include a lecture by Professor Michael Porter. Professor Porter is a distinguished professor at Harvard University, and a co-founder of the Monitor Group. He last visited Libya a year ago, when he gave a lecture in the People’s Hall to mark the launch of the NES report on Libya’s competitiveness.

On this occasion, Professor Porter will reflect on the economic progress achieved over the year since his last visit, and outline his thoughts on Libya’s prospects for development in the future. He is expected to speak about the role that the LEDB can play in Libya’s economic development, and the opportunities which the new body offers to the Libyan people.

It is hoped that Eng. Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, head of the Gaddafi Development Foundation, will be present at the event. Saif al-Islam and the Foundation have been closely involved in the work of the National Economic Strategy from the inception of the project.

The day will be an opportunity to showcase the progress which Libya is making economically, visibly symbolised by the establishment of the LEDB. The presence of many members of the Arab and international media will ensure that this message of optimism resonates internationally, as well as within Libya.


Tripoli post