The Ministries of Agriculture and Local Government, and the Mediterranean Institute of Agricultural Sciences in Italy, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the first in the framework of a broader short- and long-term partnership, to support spatial development projects to enhance food security for Libya.
The Media Office of the Libyan Presidential Council indicated that the Deputy Head of the Presidential Council, Musa Al-Koni, who is sponsoring the MoU, reviewed opportunities for promoting spatial development projects in the Libyan south. He also reviewed ways to activate joint treaties. He stressed the need to support the economic empowerment of Libyan youth, provide appropriate alternatives for their involvement in development projects, and invest their energies away from the weapon.
The Italian Ambassador to Libya, Giuseppe Puccini, praised the cooperation of the Libyan authorities, especially the Presidential Council, in directing Italian cooperation to serve the Libyan needs and the interests of the Libyans. He stressed his country’s readiness to continue implementing the long-term partnership, of which the signing of the agreement is part.
Ambassador Puccini promised to provide scholarships and training for Libyan youth, in the fields of agriculture and development, within the framework of partnership and cooperation between the two countries.
During the meeting, they discussed ways of joint cooperation in the fields of agriculture, vocational training, education, and enhancing food security.
The signing ceremony was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Ramadan Boujnah, the Italian Ambassador to Libya, Giuseppe Puccini, the Director of the Italian Institute, the Undersecretaries of the Ministries of Agriculture and Local Government, and a number of the relevant departments of the two Ministries.
Notably, a number of Italian companies expressed their “grave concerns” to Prime Minister Mario Draghi about rumours of re-assigning a data centre project in Libya in a new bid, according to the Italian Agencia NOVA.
The rumours relate to the cancellation of a project assigned to a consortium of Italian companies that are due to establish two data centers in Tripoli and Benghazi. The project would allow Libya to open up to digitisation and Western partners.
“According to these rumours, the new CEO of the Libyan Post Telecommunications & Information Technology Company (LPTIC), Mohamed Ayyad wants to re-introduce the project through a new bid without referring to anyone. This is likely to bring non-Western partners who were defeated in the previous bid won by the Italians,” Nova reported.