What is the relationship between the American Chamber of Commerce and the U.S.-Libya Chamber of Commerce?

There is no current relationship between the American Chamber of Commerce and the US- Libya Chamber of commerce, Arab-Libya Chamber of Commerce or US-Libya Business council. The USLCC as well as the Arab Business Chamber and the US-Libya Business councils are all independent groups working on various active and inactive programs.

What is the relationship between the American Chamber of Commerce and the U.S.-Libya Chamber of Commerce?

There is no current relationship between the American Chamber of Commerce and the US- Libya Chamber of commerce, Arab-Libya Chamber of Commerce or US-Libya Business council. The USLCC as well as the Arab Business Chamber and the US-Libya Business councils are all independent groups working on various active and inactive programs.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Libya (AmCham Libya), is an independent affiliate of the United States Chamber of Commerce. We’re a member-based organization that seeks to foster economic development by American companies in Libya through the promotion of regional trade and investment, business development, public policy advocacy, human resources development and business community outreach.

What is the history of AmChams in Libya?

AmChams were not allowed in the time of Gadaffi, even bilateral trade was not allowed by Gadaffi. This is the first AmCham in Libya. Amcham is an official American chamber of commerce to support American industry in Libya. We work with the American embassy with the commerce section and sometimes with the military and political sections. it is important for us to work in conjunction with the United States Government both here in Libya and in Washington to insure that we are giving American companies the most accurate and meaningful information.

 We also work with the US department of commerce on specific programs that allow information sharing and outreach to both the public and private sector.

As we are based in Libya, the AmCham has a strong connection to information on the ground, as well as direct contact to key decision makers within the Libyan Government. This is important as other groups do not have a physical presence in Libya, and I personally feel this is an important investment of time and human capital. 

What role did you play in the founding of the U.S.-Libya Chamber of Commerce?

As I have worked in both the private and public sector, I was pleased that I was given the honor of serving as the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Libya. I worked with AmChams around the world in countries such as Colombia, Guatemala and elsewhere. It is a strong institution as there are over 100 in countries with AmChams around the world and they are all connected.

After gaining the recognition of NTC, I became involved in Libya from April 2011 coming from Colombia. I was convinced that I needed to work with Libya and help the people and knew through private initiatives we could really foster and bring about change in this country. This is an important element of democracy to have a free market and access to products and people from all parts of the globe.

With my previous experience in governmental and private sectors, this was the perfect position, as it was an intersection between the two sectors. The importance of the two elements working together is fundamental and in Libya, it is without question the best way to develop this nation.

My role as the President of AmCham is to bring the American companies to Libya and to advise them on security, government policy and business opportunities within Libya.  It was a hard thing to do at the beginning. My initiative and my focus was to use and bring the American private sector in an ethical and controlled manner, as it is important not to use delegations of hundreds of companies, as this is a pushback of what the French and German did. This approach may have overwhelmed the Libyan side, so I feel that it is best to bring select companies that meet requirements, both short and long term.

Is there a large interest amongst American businesses to expand or develop in Libya?

Many of the major multi-national companies that are now part of the chamber are now opening up regional offices in Libya and using Libya as the regional office in North Africa.  Companies opening soon include Textron, Cummin Engines, AM General, Pepsico and many others such as Cessna, Bell Helicopter, General Dynamics and Microsoft, which are working within Libya in sectors outside of course of oil and gas, which attracts many large US firms.

To what extent do you believe transparent and effective dialogue between the U.S. and Libyan governments will benefit the AmCham members? And how?

I am sure that now, the US government sees Libya as a priority; they believe that Libya is going to be one of the most important countries politically and economically. On the US side, the dialogue has improved as confidence between them has grown; other countries see Libya as a place to take money and leave. The Libyan government looks into this when selecting partners for trade; they look for long- time stable relationships. Corporation and sharing of information is important to both countries. The American mentality is for long-term growth and stability and this is something I am sure will be significant to Libya as the country develops.