Development Season: Benghazi 2033 Conference Press Release

Seeking to provide a positive interactive environment to raise community awareness, and stimulate interaction between the community, governmental and non-governmental agencies to achieve a better future, Tanmia 360 held the Development Season: Benghazi 2033 conference on Saturday, October 22, 2022, until Monday, October 24, 2022. The Chairman of Tanmia 360’s Board of Trustees, Mr. Abdulnasser Najm, emphasized in his opening statement the role of youth in the development work, and the aim of Tanmia 360 to achieve comprehensive development in the community with a clear vision through youth-led sustainable programs. A number of speakers from local and international official agencies participated in the conference, where they discussed the importance of Benghazi’s recovery, planning and architectural identity during the construction phase, investment to achieve construction, the role of universities and the banking sector in creating a better future. The conference included three main themes, “Recovery and Stability”, “Construction and Investment” and “The Future”, with the participation of officials and decision-makers, academics, experts, investors, and bankers. During the first day of the conference, the phase of recovery and stability since 2017 until today was highlighted. The construction plans and projects, in addition to opportunities for the construction of Benghazi through investment were introduced in the second day of the conference. During the third day of the conference, working towards a better future was encouraged by focusing on the vital role of universities in terms of human development and developing human capital, in addition to the important role of banks investing in various fields. Besides the conference, an Architectural Creativity Exhibition was held with the participation of 10 young architects in Benghazi, where they presented their visions for the construction of Benghazi, aiming to change the mental image of destruction to construction. Also, a Civil Initiatives Exhibition was held with the participation of a number of active CSOs in Benghazi, through which they shared their previous projects, in addition to their soon-to-be-implemented initiatives to achieve positive interaction between different segments of the society to reach a better future. The Development Season was successfully concluded for this year, where the most prominent achievements were as follows:

• Mr. Ali Alhebri, Chairman of the Stabilization Committee and Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, designated by the Libyan House of Representatives, stated that the Stabilization Committee will continue to work for an additional two or two and a half years in Benghazi.
• Mr. Ali Ebheiri, General Manager of the Benghazi and Derna Construction Fund, announced that working towards developing a general urban plan for Benghazi is in full swing, where the Fund is expecting to start working on construction projects in the near future, as soon as procedures are completed by the government.
• Mr. Ali Alteira, Member of the Benghazi Municipal Steering Council, and Head of the Benghazi Development Plan team for the next ten years, declared that the work done by the team is nearing completion, where the overall plan focusing on seven priorities such as Planning, Housing and Utilities, Healthcare, Education and Training, Environment, Investment, and Culture, will be announced soon.
• Mr. Misbah Alakari, Adviser to the Governor of the Central Bank of Libya and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Commercial Bank, announced the launch of an initiative by three Libyan banks with the approval of the Governor of the Central Bank. Through this initiative, the investment will be made in three important sectors in the areas of housing, estimated at about 12 thousand housing units, cement industry, agriculture and food production. The executive management of Tanmia 360 assured that the end of the conference for this year is only the beginning of a new phase full of collaborations, partnerships, and hard work to reach the future that the people of Benghazi aspire to. Despite the conclusion of the conference, the Development Season is still on until the implementation of the Community Initiative, which is the inauguration of the participating parties in the season working together in a sustainable manner toward a bright future. For more information, please contact us via “selyakoubi@tanmia360.org”