On June 18, 2025, the HWG LU welcomed a three-member delegation from Sebha University in Libya, including the President Dr. Masoud Al-Ragig, the Dean of the Faculty of Nursing Saleh Ali Almannoni and Mohammed Alowa, the Director of the International Cooperation Office. The visit took place as part of a professional exchange to strengthen midwifery training in North Africa. The aim of the cooperation is to sustainably improve healthcare for mothers and newborns in Libya - particularly in rural and disadvantaged regions - by establishing modern, practice-oriented training structures.
Libya has been in a situation characterized by political instability and ongoing conflicts for years. These difficult conditions also have a considerable impact on the country's healthcare system. There is a lack of functioning infrastructure, qualified specialist staff and reliable access to medical care - especially in the area of mother-child health.
After a warm welcome by Dr. Michaela Michel-Schuldt, Professor of Midwifery Science, and Kerstin Gallenstein, Head of the International Office, the morning provided an opportunity for an intensive professional exchange on study programs and international cooperation opportunities in the field of midwifery science. A particular highlight of the meeting was the ceremonial signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by Prof. Dr. Gunther Piller, President of HWG Ludwigshafen, which forms the basis for future cooperation.
The partnership between the two universities is intended to make a sustainable contribution to improving the quality of education and healthcare. This includes the qualification of teaching staff, the introduction of practical teaching methods and the promotion of international networks. The HWG LU is contributing its many years of expertise in midwifery training: As one of the first universities in Germany to offer a degree program that integrates training, it offers both the Bachelor's degree program in Midwifery Science and the Master's degree program in Innovative Care Practice.
In the afternoon, the delegation was able to get a first-hand impression of the practical implementation of innovative teaching concepts during a visit to the state-of-the-art skills and simulation center and the obstetrics departments of the Diakonissenkrankenhaus in Speyer. A cultural program with a guided tour of Speyer and a joint dinner rounded off the visit.
The project is part of a strategic project for international capacity development and focuses on the exchange of knowledge and sustainable scientific cooperation. In the long term, it should help to professionalize midwifery training in Libya, develop it in a practice-oriented manner and thus significantly improve the care of mothers and children in the country. The exchange was initiated around a year ago by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Libya as part of the project "Strengthening the health system and combating the pandemic in Libya" and the visit of the delegation from Libya was supported with funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Contact:
Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society
Department of Social and Health Care
Prof. Michaela Michel-Schuldt PhD
Chair of Midwifery Science
