Engineer Belqasim Khalifa Haftar’s Dream Project Brings One of Libya’s Most Prestigious Educational Institutions Back to Life
On September 4, 2026, the University of Benghazi officially reopened all its faculties and facilities following the completion of a comprehensive reconstruction and rehabilitation project implemented by the Libyan Development and Reconstruction Fund, headed by its Director General, Engineer Belqasim Khalifa Haftar.
The reopening marked a major national and historic milestone in the journey of higher education in Libya, bringing life back to the university’s main campus after more than eleven years of closure as a result of the extensive destruction it sustained during the Libyan Armed Forces’ war against terrorist groups.
Engineer Belqasim Khalifa Haftar personally followed the finest details of the project, which is particularly close to his heart. What began as a personal dream evolved into one of the Fund’s most prominent projects aimed at rebuilding educational institutions and providing a modern academic environment worthy of the university’s history and standing.
In an exceptional achievement, the comprehensive reconstruction process was completed in just three years, during which an integrated university city was rebuilt down to its finest details and facilities, designed to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of students, both today and in the future.
The reopening of the University of Benghazi carries particular significance given its scientific and historical standing. Known as the “Mother of Libyan Universities,” it is one of the country’s oldest and largest universities, with nearly 100,000 students. The institution is deeply intertwined with the history of Benghazi and the collective memory of its people, as well as with the development of the Libyan state and its institutions.
Over the decades, the university, which provides free education to Libyans, has graduated generations of scientists, experts, academics and officials who have held prominent positions and contributed to building state institutions and serving Libyan society across a wide range of sectors.
The reconstruction and rehabilitation works covered the university’s main campus and the Faculties of Engineering, Arts, Law, Science and Languages, as well as the central library, academic and administrative buildings and service facilities. The project also included modern student residences offering accommodation standards comparable to five-star hotels, significantly enhancing the university’s capacity to attract and accommodate students from across Libya and around the world, while opening its doors to anyone seeking to pursue their education in Libya.
The project also included the development of infrastructure and the internal road network, as well as the equipping of lecture halls, laboratories and university facilities according to modern and advanced standards, providing an integrated educational environment for students, faculty members and administrative staff.
The inauguration ceremony reflected the scale of the occasion and the stature of the university. It featured an exceptional production combining technology, art and the telling of the University of Benghazi’s history through 3D Mapping, advanced visual effects and state-of-the-art production technologies, presented in a venue accommodating more than 15,000 spectators.
The ceremony brought together a wide range of prominent Libyan figures and alumni representing generations of university graduates, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and Engineer Belqasim Khalifa Haftar, Chairman of the Libyan Development and Reconstruction Fund. The event also welcomed numerous ambassadors, representatives of foreign companies and international delegations, as well as approximately 240 international guests who travelled from several countries to attend the occasion.
A major highlight of the ceremony was a sophisticated aerial performance involving fleets of drones operating through an integrated electronic system. The show culminated in three world records documented by Guinness World Records: the formation of an eagle, a quill writing the name “University of Benghazi” across the sky, and the formation of the peace symbol. The unprecedented visual spectacle placed the inauguration among Libya’s most significant large-scale events and gave the occasion an exceptional place in the country’s history of major public events.
In a related initiative, the Fund has sent more than 1,000 students from the University of Benghazi abroad to continue their studies and pursue their specializations. The initiative reflects an approach that combines the reconstruction of physical infrastructure with investment in human capital as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development.
The Libyan Development and Reconstruction Fund is currently implementing more than 2,300 projects across extensive areas of eastern and southern Libya, covering education, healthcare, housing, roads, infrastructure and public facilities, as part of a broader development process aimed at rebuilding institutions, improving services and strengthening stability.
This achievement is not limited to the University of Benghazi. It forms part of a wider drive to reconstruct and rehabilitate educational infrastructure across Libya, encompassing universities and educational institutions in Kufra, Al Bayda and Derna, three colleges in Al Marj, and the University of Ajdabiya, in addition to maintenance and rehabilitation works in Sirte, Brak al-Shati and Murzuq.
In parallel, approximately 250 schools across various regions of Libya have been restored and rehabilitated as part of an integrated effort to advance the education sector and provide modern educational infrastructure worthy of Libyan students and capable of serving future generations.
The reopening of the University of Benghazi represents far more than the resumption of operations at an educational institution. It marks the restoration of one of Libya’s most prominent scientific and historic landmarks and the return of university life to a place that has remained deeply rooted in the memory of generations of Libyans, following an absence of more than a decade.