Atlas News – Amr Yehia, Kuala Lumpur

The Libya Pavilion was inaugurated on Thursday at the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS 2026), in a step aimed at building a direct trade corridor between the two countries and opening new markets for Malaysian and Libyan companies in North Africa and Southeast Asia.

Dato’ Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, Chairman of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), said during the inauguration of the pavilion at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) that the Libyan pavilion does not represent just an exhibition space, but a strategic bridge.

He added: “It is a gateway for Malaysia and ASEAN to North Africa and the Mediterranean, and a launching pad for our Libyan friends into the Asian halal economy. By bringing Libya’s growing private sector into Malaysia’s halal ecosystem, with its certification, quality assurance and trade infrastructure, we can build supply chains strong enough to serve the entire Islamic world.”

Malaysia–Libya trade gathers momentum

The Chairman of MATRADE said the growing momentum in economic relations between Malaysia and Libya was reflected in trade figures, which reached RM1.03 billion in 2025, representing growth of 38.9% compared with the previous year.

He explained that Malaysia’s exports to Libya during the first eight months of 2026 reached RM106.5 million, an annual increase of 73.4%, consisting mainly of machinery, equipment and spare parts, chemicals and chemical products, and palm oil and palm oil-based agricultural products.

He pointed out that this rapprochement is the result of the Export Acceleration Mission organised by MATRADE to Tripoli in May 2024, with the participation of 10 Malaysian companies, which generated business opportunities worth about RM250 million, followed by Malaysia’s participation in the Tripoli International Fair earlier this year and culminating in Libya’s first participation with a full national pavilion at MIHAS.

The Libyan Pavilion was organised in cooperation between the Tripoli Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture and the General Authority for Exhibitions and Conferences.

MIHAS 2026, held from September 23 to 26 at MITEC in Kuala Lumpur, is the 22nd edition of the international showcase and is organised under the theme “Shaping Trust, Driving Resilience.” The official MIHAS programme describes the event as a global halal trade platform focused on trust, governance and resilient supply chains.

The Chairman of MATRADE said: “We chose this slogan because we face a lot of uncertainty, and we are affected by geopolitical tensions in West Asia and the disruption of global supply chains and maritime routes. In such an environment, what matters most is trusted friendship, and this is crucial, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.”

Reezal Merican said the global halal market is currently estimated at about USD 3.5 trillion and is expected to expand significantly by the end of the decade.

He added that Malaysia has maintained the number one position globally in the Islamic Economy Indicator for 12 consecutive years, but stressed that leadership cannot be achieved in isolation.

He continued: “True leadership is achieved through integration with other countries, foremost Libya with its growing private sector. Together we can innovate flexible supply chains that serve the wider Islamic world.”

He also pointed to Malaysia’s proposal to establish the ASEAN Halal Council in September 2027 as an institutional step towards deeper regional cooperation. Malaysia formally proposed the council’s launch for September 2027, subject to agreement among ASEAN member states and partners.

The opening ceremony was attended from the Libyan side by Eng. Essam Abdel Jalil Al-Aoul, Chairman of the General Authority for Exhibitions and Conferences and head of the Libyan delegation; Dr. Hassan Taher Al-Kamil, Head of the Department of Private Sector Development and Investment at the Ministry of Economy and Trade; Anwar Abu Sitta, Chairman of the Tripoli Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture; and Haj Aziz Aouan, Chairman of the Libyan-Malaysian Joint Business Chamber.

From the Malaysian side, participants included Prof. Dr. Mohd Afandi Salleh, Chairman of the Halal Development Corporation (HDC); Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Mamat; Norsyahrin Hamidon, President of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (NCCIM); and S. Jai Shankar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of MATRADE. Mohd Afandi Salleh’s position as HDC Chairman and S. Jai Shankar’s position as MATRADE Deputy CEO are confirmed by the respective institutions.

Libya eyes strategic partnership with Malaysia

For his part, Eng. Essam Abdel Jalil Al-Aoul, Chairman of the General Authority for Exhibitions and Conferences, said Libya’s first participation in MIHAS 2026 would not be the last, expressing Tripoli’s aspiration for a genuine strategic partnership with Kuala Lumpur.

Al-Aoul said: “We thank the Kingdom of Malaysia for all the facilitations and all those in charge of the MIHAS exhibition, and with us today is an integrated Libyan delegation. This is the first participation of Libya in MIHAS and, God willing, it will not be the last, and we look forward to a strategic and real cooperation with Malaysia.”

Libya’s participation in MIHAS 2026 is its first at the Malaysian showcase. Al-Aoul has said the delegation also aims to benefit from Malaysia’s expertise in halal certification and to transfer that experience to Libya and the wider African market.

The Libyan delegation conveyed the greetings of the Minister of Economy and Trade of the Government of National Unity and his full support for the Libyan participation, while inviting Malaysian companies to participate in the next edition of the Tripoli International Fair in 2027, one of the oldest international trade fairs in Africa and the Middle East and North Africa region.

Reezal Merican concluded the ceremony by announcing the official opening of the Libya Pavilion, saying: “I hope that all your meetings will be fruitful and that your participation in MIHAS will contribute to strengthening the partnership between Libya and Malaysia.”

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