(AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK) - One hundred and fifty-three emerging Libyan leaders have received certificates after completing a ten-day intensive leadership workhop in Istanbul, Turkey, organized by the African Development Bank.

The Tamayoz Residential programme, provided by Adam Smith International, exposed participants to leadership examples and success stories, provided deeper understanding of a leader’s responsibilities, transferred knowledge of the latest organizational leadership tools, and presented work-based assignments related to Libya’s challenges and solutions.

Tamayoz means distinction and uniqueness in Arabic.

The workshop which concluded Wednesday, included negotiation, team building, problem solving and decision-making. The course stimulated lively discussion on topics of particular importance to Libyans, bringing experts from the Middle East and North Africa region and further afield to highlight partnerships between the public, private and civil society organizations. Other themes discussed were economic diversification; encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship; peacebuilding and reconciliation; and local governance and development.

The exercise brought together participants from across Libya, as well as the public, private and civil society sectors.

Speaking at the close of the programme, Mohamed El Azizi (photo), Bank Director General for North Africa, said that Tamayoz would help shape the future of Libya by contributing to improving service delivery and fostering long-term institutional effectiveness and efficiency, as well as improving cross-sectoral collaboration. ”We are one of the first multilateral banks to do it,” he stated.

Dr. Moammer of the National Research Centre for Polmers said the program “opened new horizons, new relationships and stimulated communication between participants from different regions in Libya.”

Yacine Fal, Deputy Director General for North Africa, added that Tamayoz marked the first initiative by the African Development Bank to build a leadership cohort and was thrilled with the commitment shown by Libyan participants - “a first step to building a great leadership cohort ready to drive the country’s recovery and development,” she added.

The new graduates echoed the sentiment.

“Tamayoz is a platform for emerging leaders to come together and learn about successful tools for building pioneering organizations in our society,” Abdul Qader Abdel Salam of the University of Sabha, said.

The Tamayoz programme is an initiative led by the African Development Bank and the Libyan government and implemented by ASI to support the political transition in Libya by strengthening the leadership capacity of its public, private and civil society sectors. It aims to build long-term institutional effectiveness, efficiency and prosperity. It also aims to improve service delivery through fostering future leaders and improving cross-sectoral collaboration in Libya.

In 2016, more than 1,200 Libyans took part in two e-learning courses conducted as part of the initial stage of the programme. The most promising participants were then invited to attend the advanced residential leadership workshop in Istanbul, Turkey.