The University of Benghazi reopened on September 4, 2026, after an eleven-year closure, marking a return to operations for the institution often called the “Mother of Libyan Universities.”
Rebuilding a Historic Campus
The reopening followed a three-year reconstruction project led by the Libyan Development and Reconstruction Fund, headed by Engineer Belqasim Khalifa Haftar. The project covered the main campus and specific faculties, including Engineering, Arts, Law, Science, and Languages, along with the central library and administrative buildings.
Officials say the reconstruction addressed damage sustained during the Libyan Armed Forces’ war against terrorist groups. The scope of work included the internal road network, lecture halls, laboratories, and service facilities, designed to serve hundreds of thousands of students.
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The new facilities include student residences built to standards comparable to five-star hotels. This upgrade aims to increase the university’s capacity to host students from across Libya and internationally, moving beyond the previous constraints of the war-damaged infrastructure.
This project, which is deeply personal to Engineer Belqasim Khalifa Haftar, evolved from a vision into a major national undertaking aimed at restoring the university’s historical standing. Known as the “Mother of Libyan Universities,” the institution is one of the country’s oldest and largest, boasting nearly 100,000 students who have historically received free education to support the development of the Libyan state and its institutions.
The full 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 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.
A Ceremony of Scale
The inauguration ceremony took place at a venue capable of holding more than 15,000 spectators. It combined technology, art, and history through 3D mapping and visual effects. Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and Engineer Belqasim Khalifa Haftar attended, joined by ambassadors, representatives of foreign companies, and approximately 240 international guests.
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A drone performance during the event set three Guinness World Records: the formation of an eagle, a quill writing the name “University of Benghazi,” and the peace symbol. The spectacle placed the reopening among Libya’s most significant public events.
The ceremony reflected the scale of the occasion and the stature of the university through an exceptional production combining technology, art, and the telling of the University of Benghazi’s history through 3D Mapping and advanced visual effects. The event brought together a wide range of prominent Libyan figures and alumni representing generations of university graduates, alongside numerous ambassadors and representatives of foreign companies who travelled from several countries to attend the occasion.
Human Capital and Future Projects
The Libyan Development and Reconstruction Fund has sent more than 1,000 students from the university abroad to continue their studies. The fund views this investment in human capital as a key part of sustainable development alongside the physical reconstruction of the campus.
Currently, the fund is managing more than 2,300 projects across eastern and southern Libya. These efforts cover education, healthcare, housing, roads, and public facilities. The reconstruction of the University of Benghazi is part of a wider drive to rehabilitate educational infrastructure in other areas, including Kufra, Al Bayda, Derna, Al Marj, Ajdabiya, Sirte, Brak al-Shati, and Murzuq.
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Approximately 250 schools across Libya have also been restored as part of this broader effort. The reopening of the University of Benghazi represents the return of a scientific landmark to a location that has been absent from the daily life of the country for more than a decade.
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, but 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.
