Spain-Libya Business Meeting
On the occasion of the visit of a prominent delegation from Libya, headed by the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Mohamed Abdulkader, and composed of senior representatives from the country’s leading public companies in the oil, gas, electricity, ports, airports, and logistics sectors — including the Misrata Free Zone — together with entities such as the National Oil Corporation, the General Electricity Company of Libya, and the Reconstruction and Development Fund, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, the Spanish Secretariat of State for Trade, through ICEX Spain Trade and Investment, and the CEOE organized the Spain–Libya Business Meeting, which took place on April 23, 2026.
The meeting featured interventions from the President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Bonet, the President of the International Relations Commission of CEOE, Marta Blanco, and the Spanish Secretary of State for Trade, Amparo López. Representing the Libyan side were the President of the General Union of Chambers of Commerce of Libya, Mohamed Raied, the board member of Libya’s National Oil Corporation, Hussien Safar, and the Libyan Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Mohamed Abdulkader.
In the opening session, the President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce stated that deeper exchanges are necessary to strengthen economic security. Although the potential is considerable, bilateral relations remain insufficiently diversified. He therefore encouraged the Spanish private sector to seize investment opportunities in Libya, a country that also has a significant business base. He further highlighted the role of business institutions in supporting projects through information, advisory services, and financing.
The President of the International Relations Commission of CEOE recalled the official visit carried out in 2021 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of relations between Spain and Libya, which demonstrated the strength of bilateral ties and the commitment of both sides to strengthening cooperation. In this regard, she emphasized Spain’s role as Libya’s ally within the EU, as well as Libya’s importance as a trading partner. She also pointed out that Libya is advancing in its stabilization and modernization process, opening up new prospects for foreign investment. Furthermore, she stressed the interest of Spanish companies in participating in priority sectors for the country’s development, as well as the need for a clear regulatory framework, legal certainty, and a stable environment conducive to investment.
The President of the General Union of Chambers of Commerce of Libya highlighted Spain’s image and the reputation of Spanish products in the Libyan market. He also focused on the country’s reconstruction process and the related needs, particularly in the field of infrastructure, one of the sectors with the greatest potential for international business cooperation. Additionally, he emphasized Libya’s regulatory framework for foreign investment and announced that procedures would be streamlined to attract Spanish investment and boost air connections. He also referred to free zones such as Misrata as a significant opportunity for international companies.
In his speech, the Libyan Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources described cooperation with Spain as both a success and a strategic opportunity, not only for the exchange of knowledge and technology but also for advancing joint projects, particularly in the energy sector. In this context, he emphasized Libya’s interest in strengthening cooperation with Spanish companies and noted that the country is immersed in a process of reconstruction and economic diversification in which investment opportunities exist across all sectors. In this regard, he reiterated Libya’s commitment to creating a stable framework that facilitates investment and fosters a positive business climate for the development of the private sector.
Subsequently, the board member of Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) added that Libya is open to creating partnerships and leveraging technology to unlock new opportunities, especially in the oil sector, where the objective is to increase production beyond the current 1.4 million barrels per day and explore new areas of the country. In this way, he stressed the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation in digital transition, infrastructure, modernization, construction and maintenance of oil fields, human resources training and research centers, spare parts exports, logistics assistance, as well as other support services.
For her part, the Spanish Secretary of State for Trade emphasized Libya’s importance to Spain, particularly in terms of energy security, noting that in addition to being a key energy partner, Libya is Spain’s fourth-largest supplier in Africa. She also stressed that the potential for cooperation is not limited to the energy sector, but extends to other areas such as water, infrastructure, digitalization, agriculture, and industry. According to her remarks, both countries share a basis of economic complementarity. She also praised the capacity and international experience of Spanish companies, which are already involved in several key projects in the country.
The event continued with a series of panels focusing on economic and financial cooperation between Spain and Libya, the energy, oil and gas sector, and new areas of cooperation.