Tunis - To support sustainable livelihood opportunities and tackle rising unemployment in Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) brought together several NGOs from Libya to present their ongoing project achievements and discuss innovative ideas for future activities.

Skills like mobile phone repair services, operating heavy construction machinery, web design and tech entrepreneurship are in high demand in the Libyan labour market. IOM is providing financial and technical support to grassroots organizations across the country to train youth, internally displaced persons, and migrants in these job skills.

Moomken, one of the organizations present at the workshop, is a Tripoli-based NGO, which trained 15 aspiring youth in web design, content creation and website development. As part of the training, the participants developed an online platform Dakka.ly which allows digital entrepreneurs in Libya to display their resume and portfolios online to secure freelance work from private businesses.

Asarya Consultancy trained 20 young men, including migrants and displaced Libyans in Benghazi, in operating heavy construction machinery. “All 20 trainees have passed the licensing test at the Benghazi municipality and some already have jobs in Libya’s growing construction sector,” said Soliman Albarassi, the Director of Asarya, who participated in the workshop.

The International Organization for Protection of Children and the Disabled (IOPCD), led by a former member of the Paralympics Association of Libya, has trained people with disabilities in mobile phones repair, a service that in high demandon the Libyan market.

Another two organizations, Eureka Consultancy and Technical Solutions and Tanmia 360, have enabled young entrepreneurs in Benghazi to build upon and refine their business ideas through intensive courses in design thinking, strategic planning and business development.

“I found a sponsor to launch my own radio channel Haya (Life) and have also prepared marketing and strategic plans for my magazine with the same name. Participating in Tanmia 360’s entrepreneurship training programme has been very fruitful for me,” remarked Ashraf Gwaider, a participant of Tanmia 360’s training course.

During interactive sessions, IOM coached the participants on communications to enhance their capacity to showcase their work, as well as monitoring and evaluation to measure the long-term impact of their projects.

“Although we have come a long way, our work is far from complete,” said Matt Huber, IOM Libya Deputy Chief of Mission.

“What we need now is to collaboratively provide the participants with the support and networks they need for setting up or expanding their businesses or to secure the jobs they aspire for. There is a lot that we can collectively achieve.”

The initiative was supported by the Regional Development and Protection Programme in North Africa – Development Pillar (RDPP NA DEV), funded by the European Union under the European Neighborhood Instrument (ENI) and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The RDPP is a regional project aimed at strengthening the resilience of communities, supporting social cohesion between migrant and host communities, as well as improving the realization of the rights of migrants.