Libya’s Prime Minister Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba has stated that his government will aim to open the country’s telecoms sector up to competition, bringing about the end of a longstanding state monopoly.
In an address at the Taqnya 2021 ICT exhibition in Tripoli, Aldabaiba said that during the remainder of his term, his government would aim to allow foreign investment into the telecoms sector to boost competition – a move he described as “necessary”.
The Libya Herald reports that Aldabaiba acknowledged that the state-dominated monopoly would likely struggle if it faced competition from major private firms. However, he also stated that “Libyans need to own the sector”, suggesting an unwillingness to allow the market to be dominated by foreign companies.
The high cost and poor quality of services in Libya drew particular criticism, with Aldabaiba noting that rates were significantly higher than in neighbouring countries while services fell short in comparison to both similar markets and wider global standards.
