Libya: USAID and Western Union Launch the Libya Diaspora Marketplace

Washington, D.c. — United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Western Union have launched the Libya Diaspora Marketplace (LDM). The LDM will award up to four winning businesses with matching grants of between $25,000 and $50,000 with accompanying technical assistance.

The Libya Diaspora Marketplace encourages sustainable economic growth and employment by supporting entrepreneurs who are U.S. citizens or permanent resident members of the Libyan diaspora community, as well as those who have a relevant connection to, or experience in, Libya. Grants awarded for startup or existing small and medium enterprises will focus on high-priority, high-impact sectors that meet the immediate and evolving development needs of the country. "The recent events in the region have offered USAID opportunities to adjust our approaches to assistance in the Middle East and North Africa and forge new partnerships across the region," said Alina Romanowski, USAID's Acting Assistant Administrator for the Middle East Bureau. "I'm excited these new relationships also include the LDM initiative and the diaspora who want to make a difference in their homeland during a historical time." USAID began redirecting assistance and putting new programs into place to help the people of Libya in response to a rapidly unfolding situation across the Middle East and North Africa, laying the foundation for a democratic future and economic prosperity that engages and benefits all Libyans.

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