Ma´asalama Libya

One should move on when something is at its best.
For my feeling it is at its best.
Six years is a long time.
And a successor has arrived.
I will not elaborate on the last six years, you can read up at the least the post Gadiffi era on this blog.
The rest is history.
I want to thank all my readers for living with me through my Libya adventure. I will miss your comments and knowing the fact that approx. 200 unique visitors come on this page every day to see what´s new.
And of course I will miss Libya.
A looooooot......

As of Monday I will assume the position of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and managing director of Advantage Austria at our headquarter in Vienna, Austria.
Social Media will also be within my portfolio, hence I would be very pleased to read your remarks about my blog / twitter appearance.
Please let us know what liked / disliked, it will help us to come up with a worldwide strategy for our organisation.

Shukran

Speeding test track

I remember from my youth that on some Formula 1 circuits you can pay quite a sum of money in order to try to break you car´s speed limit.
Suwarah could be a tourist hotspot with a three lane speedway for 20 kilometers. No speed limit (or somethin glike that...), no police, no cars. The tarmac survived the last two years-no wonder, it was built by the Austrian construction company Strabag. Once you have a highway build by that company, you can leave it alone for at least twenty years.
Too bad that my car has a speed break at 120 km/h.

Richard Krebs ist zurück

Das ist Richard Krebs.
Nein, er ist nicht mein Nachfolger.
Das kommt noch.
Geduld.
Richard Krebs war bis 2010 für die österreichische Firma VAOS in Libyen, bevor er auszog um in Dubai ein richtiges Leben zu haben. Nicht mehr am Förderband am Flughafen darauf warten, dass das Gepäck vielleicht ganz woander rauskommt.
Oder nicht mehr auf der Stadtautobahn von Autos mit 180km/h überholt zu werden.
Nein, Richie wollte das Schlraffenland in dem Milch und Honig fliessen einmal so richtig auskosten.
Aber bereits nach zwei Jahren stellte er fest, dass die OMV zwar ein toller Arbeitgeber ist (nein, nein, die goldene Uhr hatte er bereits vor Dubai), aber sein Herz in Libyen geblieben ist.
Also wechselte er wieder zu seinem alten Arbeitgeber zurück um im Wüstenstaat wieder nach dem rechten zu sehen und die Ölförderung mit der VAOS auf Fordermann zu bringen.
Well Done !
Eine Institution ist zurück.  

Consumer products boom ongoing

Economic data for Libya suggests that the economy is not doing so bad.
For Austria, our exports for the first quarter 2013  suggests, that we will have a new record in our exports to Libya. Even higher than the previous peak in 2010. Interestingly, this time consumer products, tools and light machinery and pharmaceuticals dominate our exports. WIth consumer products one can observe new products on a weekly basis.
Tools and construction materials are needed to fulfill demand in the equally booming private construction sector. With so much money around, liquidity is being absorbed not by the banking systems (people do not trust banks) but by housing. Even though those houses remain empty after construction, the firm believe is, that there, money is safe. But for how long will this boom last ?
Well, only for few years....  

No Gelatina in front of our office

During the last weeks / months there had been some security reports in Tripoli and surrounding. Nothing to worry about "just small bombs" or "little gelatina" (gelatina is used by local fisherman to fish. it is just thrown into the sea, explodes, and what comes up to the  see is being collected).
So as you can see, nothing really to worry about. In case of the French Embassy there had been a miscalculation. Apparently.
However, we have taken additional measures. As of now on car bombers will find it even more difficult to put their car in front of your office.
Oh, by the way, our neighbours, the Tunisians had this measure since long ago. And the Tchadis are protected in a different manner...

Benzinknappheit die x..te

Und wie das Amen im Gebet (eigentlich das Alahu Akbar bei der Predigt) kommt auch wieder einmal eine kleine Treibstoffkrise auf. Diesmal (wie auch etliche male davor) war ein vor drei Tagen begonnener Streik in Zawiah dafür ausschlaggebend. Die Bevölkerung ist beunruhigt, dass das Bestreiken einer Raffinierie die Nachschubskette unterbricht und man dann wieder ohne Benzin dasteht. Alles schon gehabt. In extremis während der Revolution, als man sich über eine Woche anstellen musste um an Benzin zu kommen.
Ich nehme aber an, dass diesmal, wie die letzten mala auch, nach ein paar Tagen der SPuk vorbei ist.
Die ab August geplante Kürzung der Subventionen werden dann wahrscheinlich das ihrige dzau tun, dass weniger getankt wird.

Another Vacancy in Libya - Public Relation !

And here comes another vacancy with JLCC / Asamer, this time a PR and Public Relations specialist.

Vacancy with JLCC - Budget & Controlling

Are you firm in finance ?

Did you always want to have a job with an Austrian company in Libya ?

Then it´s time to apply with Joint Libyan Cement Company, majourity owned by the Austrian Asamer group.

On tour in Austria

Dear Readers,
I just realized that it has been nearly a month since my last blog entry.
No, I have not been on holiday, just touring Austria on a very intense tour. Every couple of days in another Austrian province, advising Austrian companies about the Libyan market. Entry strategies, possible partners, outstanding payments, etc.
The photo to the left shows Innsbruck, in the back you can see the ski jumping arena (Berg Isel), designed by Zaha Hadid.
Soon it is over, and I will be back to lovely Tripolis !
Thanks for your understanding !

Alltag in Tripolis während einer Veranstaltung

So ein Tag in Tripolis kann schon spannend sein !
Aber fangen wir einmal langsam an, denn eigentlich begann dieser Tag arbeitsmäßig mit einem Anruf eines ehemaligen österreichischen Expats der auf Besuchsreise war.  Um 8 Uhr sollte ohnehin bereits jeder arbeitsbereit sein. Nach dem Gespräch ins Auto gesetzt und Richtung Hotel Corinthia fahren um die Teilnehmer der Marktsondierungsreise einzuklauben und zum ersten Gruppentermin beim allmächtigen Housing & Infrastructure Board zu bringen.
Ein Kollege begleitet die Gruppe, somit habe ich Zeit kurz auf der Messe zu nachzusehen ob die 16 Aussteller irgendetwas benötigen. Der Aushilfsfahrer Ahmed(*) ruft um 9.30 an um mir mit Grabesstimme zu sagen, dass er nicht kommen kann. Er habe ganz vergessen, dass seine Frau heute aus Saudi (Arabien) ankommt. Naja, was solls. Alternative suchen, und weiter gehts. Im Büro einmal ein paar emails beantworten, nichts aussergwöhnliches heute:
- einer Firma wird vorgeworfen, daß sie Lebensmittel Qualitätsstandards nicht erfüllt
- eine Firma weiß nicht ob sie in Misrata einen Auftrag annehmen kann, denn man findet keine Versicherung,
- und eine andere möchte ab Samstag nach Libyen kommen um österreichisches Schnittholz zu verkaufen, man ersucht um Unterstützung bei der Terminvorbereitung
Schnell noch Teller, Besteck und Getränke ins Auto geladen, und den Fahrer zu mir nach Hause geschickt (Vorbereitung für das Abendessen) und um 13h mit hechelnder Zunge beim Planungsministerium auftauchen.
Welche Pläne es in Libyen gibt, hoffen wir vom Planungsministerium zu erfahren. Aber das wäre ja doch ein wenig viel verlangt. Es liege an uns Vorschläge zu machen ! 13.000 Altverträge gäbe es. Und schon bald werde man mit allem wieder beginnen.
Wir verlassen das Ministerium, der Bigli (Sandsturm) ist mittlerweilen wirklich stark geworden. Man sieht nur wenige hunderte Meter, man spürt den Sand auf der Haut.
Bis zum nächsten Termin ist es noch 1,5h, also gehen wir in ein Cafe um dort zu warten.
Austrian Airlines ist zwischenzeitlich wegen des Sandstrums in Malta gelandet. Vier Teilnehmer, die bereits frueher zurückfliegen mussten, wurden am Flughafen auf den nächsten Flieger (Alitalia) vertröstet.
Der Vizeminister empfängt uns, sagt uns aber auch bald, man solle nicht so schwierige Fragen stellen, wie zB wann es wieder losgehen werde. Man werde beginnen, wenn die Zeit dafür gekommen ist
Nach dem Meeting um 17.30 hetze ich nach Hause, denn um 19h kommen die Gäste.
Um 18.30 tröpfeln die ersten sms und Anrufe ein, die für den Abend absagen:

Ein kleines Gefecht eben bei dem Lokale mit Angehörigen des Supreme Security council (SSC) mit RPGs (Rocket Propelled Granates) und Kalashnikov ein Kräftemessen veranstalten.
Auch der Botschafter sitzt fest, der Herd ist nur wenige hundert Meter von der Residenz entfent, zum Zeitounkt des Anrufes befindet er sich in Deckung, denn die größeren Dinger schwirren ihm gerade um die Uhren. Aber da sich bald herausstellt, dass das ganze "only small problem" ist und "will be over very soon", tröpfeln dann die Gäste langsam herein. Es gibt selbst professionelle Security vor der Tür, hereingelassen wird nur, wer auch wirklich etwas hier verloren hat.
Um 19.30 rufen die vier Österreicher an, die am Flughafen vergeblich den ganzen Nachmittag auf irgendeinen Flieger gewartet haben. Jetzt ist es traurige Gewißheit, "rien ne va plus", der nächste Flieger kommt wegen des Sandsturms frühestens am nächsten Tag.
Also besorgt man eben in einem wegen der Baumesse ausgebuchten Hotel Corinthia noch schnell drei Zimmer, und schickt den Fahrer zum Flughafen um sie abzuholen.
Nachdem die letzten Gäste um 2.30 das Haus verlassen haben, konnte auch der Hausherr dem Zirpen der libyschen Grillen lauschen.

(*): Name geändert

Austrian presence at Libya Build

Libya Build is by far the most professinal fair of the country.It is a pitty it is limited to the construction industry.
Austria wanted to participate at this fair already in 2011 , but then a small revolution came in between. However, this year we managed to motivate 16 companies to come to Libya and exhibit their products in hope for future business. Already three days before the fair opened, our pavillion was ready. To the complete surprise of my colleagues from Vienna.
So there we are, at Libya Build 2013. Very nicely located in hall number one, just some meters away from the main entrance.
We even brought famous "Johann Strauss", the father of Austrian Waltz, with us. Some people stop and ask who the guy is. Some even wnt to know if we still met him (the answer is "no", we are all, even together, to young for that).
If you are interested beforehand which Austrian companies are present, please visit the online catalogue under http://www.advantageaustria.org/ly/events/libya_build_2013.en.html

Ahlan wa sahlan !

"Zintan is problem"

One of the rare times when I heard "mushkila" (problem) without the "mafish" (not) as a prefix, happened when I wanted to go from Wamis (Northwest of Mizdah) towards Zintan. According to my various maps there should be a road, and also the mountains of Zintan could easily be seen. But the people from Wamis (from the tribe of the Mashashias) told us various times "Zintan mushkila",  and explaining later on that they had just, a couple of days ago, exchanged some bullets, rockets and alike.
So it was not very wise to use the road from Wamis to Zintan, as the people from Zintan could take our car as belonging to Wamis. They would not hesitate shooting at it.
I believed the people from Wamis and thanked them for their friendly advise. Before leaving they still showed  us the highlight of their town, namely a collection of recent leftovers...

Excursion to Gharian

One can not really say  that the surrounding of Tripoli is boring. Totally the contrary. Just that fr many foreigners security restrictions hinder them to visit spots such as, for example, Gharian. The first town up in the mountains (Jebel Nafusa) offers astonishing views northwards, direction Tripoli, and sometimes when the sky is cool and clear, even up to the sea.
But also the "Friday Market" is well worth a visit. Very colourful, authentic and you can even by falcons.
well, at least this is what I thought. However, a friend when I showed him the picture, said it was rather a pigeon. But no doubt this is something wilder than a pigeon. And for 30 Libyan Dinars it could be yours.

Wadi ZemZem

 Quite hidden in the middle of nowhere (actually between Misrata and Beni Walid) lies the Wadi ZemZem. AIt is a wadi that had been cultivated since many centuries. One can see a lot of agricultural activity and also some activity that happened after the revolution:
It was here, that Saif Al-Islam and his convoy got hit by NATO when he tried to flee from Beni Walid. Thus it was also the place where he allegedly lost his fingers. If you look carefully while driving through the valley, you cannot miss the remainders of the convoy.

Mittagsjournal vom 7.Mai zur Lage in Libyen

Für meine deutschsprachige Leserschaft wieder etwas zur wirtschaftlichen Bildung:
Mittagsjournal Beitrag vom 7.Mai, mit einem Interview mit mir

Mittagsjournal vom 7.Mai

A Trip to Tunisia

Djerba: only 300 kms from Tripoli away, used to be a favourite weekend spot for foreigners in Tripoli. Driving time was somewhere between 3hrs (my personal record is 2:55) and 5hrs. Depending how traffic was and, more important, how long border control took you. Especially the latter has become a nightmare. My last trip dates back two weeks and was supposed to be a relaxing golf weekend.
First the positive news: On the libyan part of the road, many road checkpoints have disappeared, or have been converted into real military, police or customs checkpoints. Gone are the days were you were stopped by young guys with flip-flops, a t-shirt and a kalashnikov. Now all the guys are uniformed and look like they belonged to a government force.
However, arriving at the border, mayhem starts. On the libyan side, still everything ok, except for the fact that Tunisian cars line up for hundreds of meters. Arriving in the "noman´s land" only the stronger survives: a potpourri of trucks, drivers, passengers all try to get through a gate on the Tunisian side where only one car a time passes. Of course there are cars and trucks that try to get there from positions you would not have imagined a car could go there.
Oh, yes, it is funny to observe and listen to the officials on the Libyan side of the border, blaming the Tunisians for the big mess, and telling me that they are a weird type of nation, and hearing the same stuff about the Libyans on the other side of the border. I still try to figure out who is right.
After one has passed Tunisian customs and immigration control, the slow trip (due to heavy traffic) towards the island continues. If you are lucky, you reach, as I did, Djerba after six hours.

Morgenjournal im ORF Ö1

Ein Überraschungsanruf von Fabio Polly von der Auslandsredaktion vom ORF Radio, und schon landet man um 7.00 im Morgenjournal.
Verpasst ?
Kein Problem, die Radiothek macht es möglich:

http://oe1.orf.at/artikel/338939

Libya in My Heart

While some use their spare time to drive up and down Ghargharesh (preferably in a motorbike, if they can afford), others occupy ministries, some use their time to do something creative.
Like Abdurrauf Ben Madi, for example. I happened to discover his blog the other day, and found magnificient photos of daily live in Libya. Portraits and stories of ordinary Libyans and of those who suffer in one way or the other.
I am not a professional photographer, but Abdurrauf´s photos do tell a story, even without any description. And they are of a very high quality.
His blog "Libya in my heart" is definitely well worth a visit.
http://libyainmyheart.blogspot.co.at/

The Girza have the problem

Have you ever been to Ghirza ?
It is deep inside a valley, about 100 kms from Misrata. And it is not really the Hotspot of the region, but if you are keen on Roman and Byzantinic treasurs, this is the place you would like to visit. Some magnificient roman tombs have been well preserved due to the arid climate in that region. Not far away, a couple of Roman houses and fields offer an insight into life at that time. On the ground one can find remainders of pottery, bricks and probably many hiden treasures.
But what about the people living there now ?
Well, I met them, although looking at the town, it seems you are in a ghost town. Approximately 120 people live at the moment in Ghirza, in houses that were built in the 80ies by Gadaffi. Without electriyity and water. However, the Great Man Made River pipeline is not far away, so at least they found access to water. And electricity is produced througha generator. Every day between 6-10 PM it produces a bit of electricity that lets them feel in civilisation. But otherwise,
"The Girza have the problems",
as one of the elders tells me. No school for their kids, no money, no future. They say they feel miserable.
And they ask me to spread the word....

Misrata Port in action

Misrata is always worth a trip. For me it is always a good indicator how the Libyan economy is doing, as it is the biggest port of Libya. And its people have always been more progressive, independent and looking forward than the rest of Libya. This time I only went to the harbor, but already on the way there I could see the big changes that have taken place in Zliten, around 30 kilometers before Misrata. Now, don´t expect any miracles, but the town looks tidy, cleaned up and organized. And this impression does not change until you get to Misrata. No piles of trash lying around and also most remainders of the fighting which took place here, have been removed.
The harbor is working normally, cranes unloading cargo and putting it on trailers. Below you can see Austrian whitewood being unloaded, most likely arriving from the Slovenian port of Kopa (no, austria does not have its own port). If you want to see Austrian white wood by yourself, just watch out for the blue paint. This is the typical branding of Austrian producers. However, recently I discovered some wood from Slovenia also being painted blue and thus pretending it was Austrian.

In one area the port is even being renovated and some docks built in addition.
Congratulations, Misrata !

Series: Famous golf courses of Libya, part II - Mudi GC

After reviewing Ghargharesh Golf Club we continue our tour towards Zawiah, where we find Mudi Golf Club. This is actually the only Golf Course I would consider getting somewhere (and really only somewhere) close to what is called a golf course in the rest of the world. It is actually a farm where some olive trees have been cut to make way for 9 wholes that all have a "brown", made out of sand, instead of a green.
The owner, Mr.Mudi, himself an oil engineer, had the idea of putting up the course and installing a driving range. During the last few years and up to today Mudi GC remains the only driving range in Libya. A bucket of balls is 5 LYD (3 EUR) and if you don´t watch out, you might hit a turkey, a hen or an ostrich off the tee. Although on my last visit I did not see the ostriches any longer.
Mr.Mudi is a bit sad, as business is completely down. Sometimes some Koreans drop by, but otherwise business is dead. He calculates that the revolution has cost him at least 200.000 - 300.000 Dinars. But he adds that it was worth every penny.
With some foreigners returning, he might upgrade the course and do what he planned to do already in 2011 and 2012.
Good luck Mr.Mudi !

How to get there ?
Drive towards Zawiah, about 5 kms before entering into Zawia you find a sign n the main road saying "Mudi Golf" and an arrow indicating a turn to the left. Enter the road for about 500 meters and you will get to Mr.Mudis farm.

Spot the difference

Can you spot the difference ?
Hint 1:  It is not the price
Hint 2: Only one of the two is healthy
Hint 3: One is produced in Austria under strict health guidelines
Hint 4: Only one of the two gives wings ;-)

Make your own license plate

 You bought a car recently ?
Congratulations ! You did not manage to get your license plates printed ?
Well, you are probably not alone as thousands of other Libyans also struggle to get their new license plates from a factory that can not cope with the huge demand for new registrations.
The bottleneck comes exactly at that point where you are nearly finished with all the procedures.  So why not make your own license plate ?

In any case better than driving around with a Swiss, or German plate.

So here is an easy "Do-It-Yourself" explanation:

1. Take the number from your car book
2. Print the number out, followed by the word "Libya" in Arabic letters"
3. Cut the paper and plastify it

4. READY TO GO !

ABC - Austrian Breakfast Club

Ein Klassiker unter unseren Veranstaltungen ist der "ABC", der, "Austrian Business Circle", oder "Austrian Business Club". Dieser soll die Niederlassungsleiter vor Ort zu Informationsaustausch unt Networking zusammenführen. Diese Veranstaltungen werden weltweit abgehalten (denn österreichische Firmen gibt es per definitionem ja überall...), so auch in Tripolis, aber eben ein wenig abgeändert (ansonsten wäre es ja nicht Libyen).
So wurde vergangene Woche daraus der Austrian Breakfast Club, zu dem alle pünktlich um 08h morgens erschienen (ok, fast alle). Ehrengast war Heidi Burkhardt, Geschäftsführerin von Hilfswerk Austria International, der Hilfsorganisation, die das Kinder- und Jugendzentrum in Dahra als Projekt führt.
Bei österreichischen Säften und neuerdings auch Milch blieben einige bis zu Mittag. 

Gadaffi´s sons´ villas in Regatta

Well, there is not so much left of all the former houses of Saif-Al-Islam Sadi and Hannibal in Regatta. It used to be an area of Regatta where you could not get very close to. When one of the sons were there, you could were already controlled very thoroughly at the entrance. Coming closer to the houses was not easy, jogging, the security personnel would let you get as close as to see one of the Eastern European beauties sun-tanning on the beach.
These days the villas are still visited by some "Thuars" - provided they are being let in by the guards at the entrance. On one of the parking lots of the villas, one could still see that apparently the Romans were "en vogue" and so were also replicas of roman statues (see picture below).

Some people still enjoy the place and happen to organize picknicks there during the weekends.

Libya Build 2013

In my opinion Libya Build has always been best fair in Libya. Already in 2012 ATEX, the organiser, opened its doors again for the revival of the fair. Many countries organized a national pavillion, though 2013 will break a record.
According to an interview by The Libya Report with the CEO of ATEX, Maged Mahfoud, 630 exhibitors from 25 different countries are expected to attend.
And guess what ?
Austria will be there as well! 16 companies registered. If you want to have a preview of those companies coming, please visit
http://www.advantageaustria.org/ly/events/libya_build_2013.participants.en.html
Hopefully it will be the start of old projects as well.

EU Meeting in Tripoli

The European Union consists of 27 countries.
Some of them small, others large,
some rich, others not so rich,
some are under the ESF, others have a budget surplus.
Some joined Schengen, others have the Euro, some have both.
And in Tripoli, like in many other non-EU countries, we meet regularily in order to discuss matters of common interest.
At least in theory. We have some colleagues in that round that share more information than others. During the last meeting some of the group´s anchors were missing as they were on holiday or on a business meeting. From the remaining group (in numbers we were still many), nobody really wanted to share any information, so I guess I had a big share of the total speaking time.
It seemed like a group of hyenas, one observing and waiting for the other.
I hope this remains a one time observation....

A Pickup is a great mean of transport

A pickup is a great car. Nearly like a camel - well, some call it the modern camel. In Libya you see often ..

Sorry, technical failure - text is lost. And I forgot what i wrote.

No problem :-)

Mitarbeiter des Monats

Dieses Foto wurde uns vor einige Tagen zugespielt. Aber dabei handelt es sich um eine kleine Ente, denn eine der abgebildeten Personen arbeitet nicht am AC Tripolis ! Dennoch, er kümmert sich rührend um die weiblichen Mitarbeiter in unserem Büro. Ist ja so, in Libyen braucht man einen männlichen Aufpasser. Und alleine auf die Strasse gehen, einkaufen oder gar mit dem Auto fahren kommt gar nicht in Frage.
Deswegen lassen wir ...... hoch leben und hoffen, dass er sich anstrengt auch im Mai diese hohe Auszeichnung zu ergattern. Aber dann bitte das "W" bei "AC Tripolis" weglassen ;-)  

Austrian milk arrived in supermarkets

Austrian milk from the heart of the Alps arrived to Libya. We know already from a couple of Austrian producers that have shipped milk into the country where only few cows can be found. However, it is the first tetra pack that I physically hold in my hands.
I guess I don´t have to lose any word about the quality of Austrian milk. But why all of a sudden into Libya ? Well, retail keeps being king in Libya. In our office we receive many businessmen (or "wannabes") who ask about Austrian producers who do not have their Libyan agent yet. A good percentage of those simply want to get their share of the money involved and do not have any experience. Though quite some, on the other hand, can show a good track record and have, in addition, some other brands in their portfolio.
It will be interesting how Monoprix (and other supermarket chain projects that are in the pipeline) will change the landscape.

Did you ever wonder what happened to Regatta ? Over two years after you have lived there and left from one day to the other ?
The good news first: You don´t have to worry about your things anymore. There is absolutely NOTHING of it left anymore. Although 90% of the houses are not inhabited anymore and Zintanis have moved out from the houses, time has erased all physical memory.
And now the bad news: Regatta is not yet ready for you to move back in again. Some houses (most of the new former Repsol houses for instance) have been repainted and quickly renovated, but the vast majourity remain empty and are in urgent need of renovation. However, since the new year, some cleaning up activity can be noticed.
And for those of you who used to sit in the seaside pizzeria and waited for at least one hour for your pizza to come - I guess you recognized the restaurant again on the first picture.