Wafa Bughaighis is the senior representative of the internationally recognized government of Libya to the United States. She holds the rank of Chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of Libya in Washington, D.C.

Prior to her appointment to the Washington Embassy, Ms. Bughaighis was the Deputy Minister for Political Affairs in the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; she also served as the Acting Foreign Minister.

Before her foreign affairs posts, Ms. Bughaighis had a distinguished career in education as the Director of the International Bureau of the Ministry of Education for Eastern Libya. The bureau worked closely with the United Nations and civil society to ensure that Libya’s youth had access to quality education after the overthrow of Qaddafi.

During the revolution, Ms. Bugaighis co-founded and chaired the nonprofit organization Commission in Benghazi to Support Women Participation in Decision Making, then opened branches in other cities, including Tripoli. The organization was recognized by the UN, the Libyan National Election Commission and the US National Democratic Institute for contributing to the success of Libya’s democratic elections.

Ms. Bughaighis was also active in volunteering at local hospitals in Benghazi and continued her educational efforts by joining the Local Council Office for Education during the revolution.

Previously, Ms. Bughaighis spent three years as Deputy Chair of the Nour Al Maarif Education Institute, which serves more than 700 Benghazi students each year. She also held a position as a chemical engineering specialist at the Arabian Gulf Oil Company in Benghazi for more than 14 years.

Ms. Bughaighis is the first woman appointed as Deputy Secretary for Political Affairs and Chargé d’affaires of the Libyan Embassy to the United States.

Ms. Bughaighis holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from the Catholic University of America and also completed non degree graduate studies in management and international relations at George Washington University. Ms. Bughaighis is fluent in Arabic and English, and conversational in German.

Contact Information

The Libyan People’s Bureau
2600 Virginia Ave., NW
Suite 705
Washington, DC 20037

Phone: (202) 944-9601
Fax: (202) 944-9606