Libya yesterday signed an MoU with Bangladesh to recruit a large number of workers as Tripoli launched a $130 billion infrastructure development programme that will require over one million foreign workers.

Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury and visiting Libyan Labour Minister Maa'touq Mohammed Maa'touq signed the MoU after an hour-long official talk at the State Guest House Padma.

Itekhar and Maa'toug termed the signing of the MoU as a historic occasion and a milestone in the development of bilateral relations between the two Muslim brotherly countries.

Under the five-year development programme that started this year, Libya will construct 300,000 housing units, 27 university complexes, over 10,000 kms roads and maintain 24,000 kms roads.

"We'll recruit workers not only from Bangladesh but naturally we prefer Bangladeshis as we have experience in recruiting skilled and semi-skilled workers from the country in the past," Maa'toug told reporters at a joint press briefing.

He said, "We are here to expand and broaden the presence of Bangladeshis in Libya."

Presently, some 25,000 Bangladeshi are employed in oil-rich Libya.

The Libyan minister did not give the exact number of Bangladeshi workers they will recruit but said they issued 6,000 visas for Bangladeshi workers last month. "Now you can imagine the possible number of workers to be recruited from here," he said.

Maa'toug said they have also directed foreign companies from Germany, Japan and South Korea working in Libya as well as Libyan private sector to recruit workers from Bangladesh.

In reply to a question, the Libyan minister said he will ask Libyan investors to make investment in potential sectors of Bangladesh, particularly oil and gas sectors.

Iftekhar said they have discussed possible cooperation in oil and gas sectors and in strengthening Bapex (Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Ltd) as Libya has huge expertise in this sector.

The adviser said they talked about the possibility of refining Libyan crude oil in Bangladesh and exporting to neighboring countries.

Maa'toug visited some installations in pharmaceutical sectors as Bangladesh has great potential to export pharmaceutical products to Libya.

Besides, they also discussed cooperation in higher education as Libya is interested in taking professors, doctors and others to be absorbed in Libyan growing economy.

The adviser said the government has decided to designate Rear Admiral Mustafiz as ambassador to Libya and the Libyan government has also appointed a full-fledged ambassador in Bangladesh.

The meeting decided to sign some letter of exchanges on possible cooperation between the two countries for mutual benefit.

{thedailystar}