By TENGKU NOOR SHAMSIAH & PHUBIEYAS AHMAD
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 — With Malaysia’s exports to Libya rising 73.4 per cent in the first eight months of this year, the opening of a Libya Pavilion at MIHAS 2026 today puts businesses from both countries in the same room to pursue their next deals.
Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) chairman Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican officially launched the Libya Pavilion at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), describing it as a two-way trade corridor rather than simply an exhibition space.
“It is a bridge, a gateway into North Africa and the Mediterranean for Malaysia and ASEAN, and a launching pad into Asia’s Halal economy for our Libyan friends,” he said the event.
Malaysia exported RM106.5 million worth of goods to Libya from January to August, led by machinery, equipment and parts, chemicals and chemical products, and palm oil and related agricultural products, according to MATRADE.
Total bilateral trade reached RM1.03 billion in 2025, an increase of 38.9 per cent from the previous year.
The pavilion gives Malaysian exporters an opportunity to explore Libya as an entry point to North Africa. For Libyan companies, it offers access to potential partners in Malaysia’s halal industry and, through them, the wider ASEAN market.
MATRADE Chairman Dato’ Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican (in green batik) joins Libyan and Malaysian representatives for a group photograph at the Libya Pavilion during MIHAS 2026 at MITEC, Kuala Lumpur.
Reezal said Malaysia’s halal certification, quality assurance and trade infrastructure could help businesses build supply chains serving markets beyond the two countries.
“MATRADE stands ready, arms wide open, to help Libyan enterprises step into ASEAN, just as we hope more Malaysian companies will seize the opportunities Libya offers,” he said.
The pavilion follows MATRADE’s export mission to Tripoli in May 2024. Ten Malaysian companies took part in the mission, which MATRADE said generated nearly RM250 million in potential business opportunities. Malaysia’s participation in the Tripoli International Fair earlier this year continued that engagement.
The Libya Pavilion is jointly organised by the Tripoli Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture and the General Authority for Exhibitions and Conferences.
Now in its 22nd edition, the Malaysia International Halal Showcase is hosted by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry and organised by MATRADE. This year’s event, themed “Shaping Trust, Driving Resilience,” has trade days from Sept 23 to 25, followed by a public day on Sept 26.
The pavilion’s opening marks a further step in trade relations between Malaysia and Libya. The measure of its success will be the partnerships and orders that emerge from the meetings at MIHAS.
Around 450 international buyers from 58 economies are attending through the International Sourcing Programme, with more than 4,000 business meetings scheduled and over RM5 billion in potential business targeted.
Malaysia’s halal product exports reached RM68 billion in 2025, and the country is aiming for more than RM80 billion by 2030.
- TNS NEWS