The African Development Bank Group and Libya's National Economic and Social Development Board have concluded a first workshop to advance efforts to ensure national investments of countries support peacebuilding, social cohesion, resilience.
Senior officials, directors, and technical experts from the Board took part in the three-day training session held in Tripoli held from 4 to 6 May. Libya is the first country where the African Development Bank has delivered this training, which will now be rolled out in additional countries.
Titled "Investing for Peace: Applying a Peace-Positive Investment Framework to National Programs and Strategies," the workshop followed commitments made during the 2025 high-level dialogue on Private Sector Mobilization and Peace-Positive Investment, launched jointly by Libya's Ministry of Finance and the African Development Bank.
The training was also part of a broader African Development Bank mission to Libya to deepen strategic dialogue with national stakeholders and align the Bank's support with Libya's priorities for resilience, private sector development, and regional integration.
"Development investments can either reduce fragility and bridge divides or unintentionally reinforce them. This training focused on practical ways to help institutions assess risks, design more inclusive programmes, and ensure that public investment decisions contribute to stability and cohesion," said Malinne Blomberg, Deputy Director General for North Africa at the African Development Bank. "As the first country to benefit from this training, Libya is helping shape a practical model that the Bank will now roll out in other countries. We will continue working with Libyan institutions to translate these approaches into concrete planning tools and stronger coordination across government."
Participants worked with practical tools to assess how development, inequality, fragility, and conflict dynamics intersect. Sessions focused on conflict sensitivity, the "Do No Harm" approach, and investment frameworks that can strengthen social cohesion, resilience, and inclusive economic development.
Using presentations, case studies, group work, policy simulations, and conflict analysis exercises, participants applied the framework to key national priorities, including investment climate reforms, social protection policies, water security strategies, education and skills development programmes, and economic diversification initiatives.
The programme also addressed structural drivers of conflict, conflict-sensitive economic policy design, integration of peace considerations into investment planning, and the institutionalization of peace-positive approaches across government systems. Participants also developed action plans to help apply the framework within their workstreams and national strategies.
The African Development Bank and the Libyan authorities will continue their collaboration to further integrate peace-positive investment principles into Libya's development planning processes.
