Despite the constant threat of conflict, Tripoli is emerging as an unlikely hub for digital innovation. Co-working spaces have appeared where bombed-out offices once stood, start-ups promise fintech solutions to cash shortages, and social media is awash with talk of a “Libyan tech moment.” For a city better known internationally for militia rule, power cuts and institutional paralysis, the narrative is seductive. It suggests a capital finally leapfrogging its political crisis through technology.
Libya is a young country by any measure, with a population dominated by under-35s who have grown up navigating disruption, informality and rapid change. This generation is digitally fluent, pragmatic and largely unencumbered by nostalgia for state-led solutions that no longer function. For many young Libyans, technology is not an abstract promise but a practical tool — a way to create income, visibility and connection in an environment where traditional pathways have collapsed. In that sense, Tripoli’s emerging tech scene reflects less an imported fantasy than a locally driven impulse to build, improvise and adapt.
Talk of a technology-driven awakening in Tripoli has gained unexpected momentum. Innovation has become a fashionable shorthand for hope, invoked as proof that Libya’s capital is moving forward despite political paralysis. In official speeches and start-up circles alike, digital tools are increasingly framed not just as economic opportunities, but as substitutes for the absent state — a way to function around collapse rather than confront it. Internet access has grown steadily, with over 70 per cent of Libyans reported to use mobile phones and around 60 per cent connected to the internet, providing a ready platform for apps, social commerce, and mobile-based services to reach a wide audience.
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What has fuelled this moment is less a sudden breakthrough than a convergence of necessity and accommodative regulation. In the context of chronic cash shortages and a banking system strained by years of political fragmentation and low public trust, the Central Bank of Libya has increasingly encouraged digital payments. In 2025 officials reported strong growth in electronic payment infrastructure, with point-of-sale terminals up nearly 92 per cent and electronic transactions rising about 75 per cent year-on-year — developments the central bank has highlighted as evidence of progress toward a more digital economy.
Libya’s economy remains heavily dependent on oil and gas — accounting for roughly 60 per cent of GDP and the overwhelming share of government revenue — while the public sector dominates employment and absorbs a large share of budgetary resources. In this environment, private actors have found opportunity in the gaps. With cash hard to come by and banks unreliable for everyday transactions, technology has stepped in where traditional institutions falter.
One clear example is ride-hailing. Turbo — a local Uber-like app — operates in Tripoli and other urban centres, letting users book cars via smartphone, offering convenience long absent from an informal taxi market. At the same time, a new generation of e-shops and delivery services has taken shape. Hundreds of small merchants now sell almost exclusively through Facebook and Instagram, using messaging apps to take orders and informal couriers to fulfil deliveries — in effect creating a grassroots e-commerce ecosystem long before a formal e-commerce law was ever passed.
Across Tripoli, this digital energy is visible in the streets and online alike. Young entrepreneurs are launching apps for everything from food delivery to small-scale logistics, while freelance designers, coders, and social media managers offer services to clients both at home and abroad. Women are increasingly part of this ecosystem, running online shops, freelancing, and participating in co-working spaces and training programs that were once male-dominated. Tech hubs and co-working spaces, though small and often informal, provide venues for training, networking, and collaboration, fostering communities of practice that did not exist a decade ago. These spaces also host hackathons, coding meetups, and community labs, reflecting a culture of grassroots innovation that complements formal startups. For many, these platforms are more than business tools: they are spaces to experiment, to connect with like-minded peers, and to assert agency in a society where traditional opportunities are limited. In a city long defined by political fragility and intermittent conflict, technology has become a medium through which Libya’s young population can reimagine work, income, and social engagement.
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Despite its dynamism, Tripoli’s digital ecosystem remains fragile. Many initiatives rely on informal arrangements, ad hoc networks, and personal trust rather than robust legal protections. There is no comprehensive e‑commerce law, leaving transactions, consumer rights, and data privacy largely unregulated — a vacuum that has discouraged wealthier investors from committing significant capital to the nascent digital economy. Venture funding in Libya’s tech space is still at an early stage: in 2024 one of the country’s first recognized venture rounds saw an e‑commerce startup, Mataa, raise over $100,000, a milestone that reverberated through the local ecosystem precisely because such rounds are rare. Meanwhile, incubator programmes like the EU‑funded Libya Startup have awarded seed funding totalling €100,000 to ten early ventures, with more than 380 startups applying for support — a sign of interest even if commercial scaling remains limited. Notably, women’s participation is significant: some statistics put Libyan women’s involvement in the tech ecosystem at around 40 per cent, a substantial step for gender inclusion.
Payment systems, while growing, still face intermittent outages and liquidity bottlenecks, and logistics networks are uneven, limiting reliability for deliveries. Yet the potential is undeniable: a population that is digitally literate, entrepreneurial, and willing to experiment provides a strong foundation for growth. If regulatory frameworks and supporting infrastructure can catch up, Tripoli’s tech sector could evolve from a patchwork of adaptive solutions into a more sustainable and formally recognised industry.
Looking ahead, several sectors stand out as particularly promising. Fintech solutions — mobile payments, digital wallets, and small‑business accounting apps — address real constraints in a cash-strapped economy and can scale rapidly if regulatory certainty improves. Logistics and delivery services, from informal courier networks to more structured platforms, meet an everyday need in a city where transportation and distribution remain inconsistent. Ride-hailing and on-demand mobility apps, like Turbo, demonstrate that technology can replace or supplement underdeveloped public infrastructure. Meanwhile, social-commerce platforms allow creative entrepreneurs to reach customers directly, turning Facebook and Instagram into virtual marketplaces. Each of these sectors shows that, even amid political and economic uncertainty, Libya’s young, adaptable population is not only using technology to survive but also to experiment, innovate, and build enterprise. With targeted policy support, investor confidence, and incremental improvements in infrastructure, these fledgling industries could lay the foundation for a more robust, formally recognized digital economy — one that reflects Libya’s potential rather than its constraints.
Tripoli’s emerging tech ecosystem illustrates a broader truth about Libya: despite years of political instability and economic uncertainty, its young population continues to adapt, innovate, and find new ways to create opportunity. The city’s digital entrepreneurs are not merely filling gaps left by weak institutions; they are experimenting with new forms of work, commerce, and social connection that could redefine Libya’s economic landscape. Challenges remain — from regulatory gaps and unreliable infrastructure to limited investment — but the creativity, resilience, and ambition of Libya’s youth suggest that the seeds of a sustainable digital economy are already being sown. If these efforts are supported with policy clarity, strategic investment, and incremental improvements in infrastructure, Tripoli could emerge not just as a survivor of its crises but as a model of innovation thriving against the odds.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.
