Libya Economic Acceleration Program

OVERVIEW

Poverty, unemployment, and inequality in economic opportunities within vulnerable communities played a role in Libya's current conflict and fragility. The Libya Economic Acceleration Project (LEAP) works with vulnerable communities, victims of conflict, private enterprises, and business development service providers to cultivate community cohesion and enhance private sector competitiveness. This new activity, which is fully funded by the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability, or the Global Fragility Act (GFA),  focuses on promoting stability and preventing conflict in Libya's south by addressing economic inequality. As part of the GFA activities, LEAP is focusing on partnering with local businesses and  organizations to increase economic opportunity, ultimately supporting locally driven peace and reconciliation efforts.

PRIORITIES

• Build entrepreneurship skills by enhancing services provided by local institutions and creating demand for business development services (BDS).
• Provide tailored assistance to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to enhance business management and productivity.
• Provide jobseekers with the workforce skills needed to meet labor demands.
• Enhance the capacity of BDS providers to deliver stronger and more diversified services to entrepreneurs and MSMEs.

KEY OUTCOMES

Entrepreneurship

LEAP delivers demand and market-based assistance to help entrepreneurs build skills, connect to resources, and increase odds of success by supporting organizations that can reach a diverse group of Fezzan’s (southwestern Libya) citizens and provide them with highly targeted and localized assistance. LEAP provides world-class training, coaching, and mentorship that enables young Libyans to take viable business ideas and turn them into profitable enterprises.

Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Support

LEAP delivers assistance to growth oriented MSMEs across the Fezzan region to identify and address constraints that are inhibiting competitiveness. Through targeted support, the project delivers technical and material assistance to MSMEs to increase sales, create high-quality jobs, and cultivate innovation in the private sector.

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)

LEAP assists local TVET partners in revising curricula and educating trainers to help job seekers find better employment opportunities and ensure needed labor skills are available in the marketplace. The project assists TVET providers to enhance their services and better link trainees with jobs, while building organizational capacity to ensure a more inclusive reach and conflict-sensitive approach.

Business Development Services

Business development requires support, including training, technical assistance, mentoring, marketing assistance, and improved production technologies and processes. LEAP provides business development services to help MSME’s in the Fezzan region become more competitive. Informed by a thorough assessment of business needs, LEAP is partnering with BDS organizations including incubators, TVETs, NGOs, and financial institutions, as well as private, locally based BDS consultants. LEAP will steadily scale up services to ensure that local providers can meet BDS demands. These organizations will then be able to provide resources to MSMEs  that will help them grow their businesses. More productive businesses mean more/better jobs, which will help cultivate stability in the region.