Alushibe Holding Group has signed an exclusive master franchise agreement with Türkiye’s MADO to develop and operate the ice-cream and patisserie brand in Libya, according to a Business Wire release dated October 29, 2026. The deal makes Libya MADO’s 36th country and opens a pipeline of 12 international food-and-beverage brands the Benghazi-based group plans to bring to the market by 2028.
The agreement was signed by Ahmed Gadalla, Founder and Chairman of Alushibe Holding Group, and Mehmet Sait Kanbur, Chairman of MADO. It grants Alushibe the exclusive right to develop and operate the brand in Libya. Alushibe will start in Benghazi before moving to Tripoli and other major cities.
The first Libyan MADO will occupy more than 1,000 sq m in Al-Hawari, Benghazi, in a property owned by Alushibe, and is due to open in Q1 2027. A second location will anchor District Mall, a 53,000 sq m Alushibe development in Benghazi that the release describes as Libya’s largest open-air mall, with 25,000 sq m of gross leasable area, opening in 2028.
Both announced sites sit in Alushibe-controlled property. For a master franchisee, that removes much of the site-acquisition risk that slows first-wave openings, and it ties the brand to the group’s retail footprint of three shopping malls, three hotels and more than 215 stores across Libya, over 2.15 million sq ft in total.
MADO is the first of 12 international brands that Alushibe’s Retail & Destinations division intends to introduce by 2028, spanning coffee, bakery, casual dining and quick-service restaurants. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Benghazi with an office in Dubai, Alushibe reports more than 6,000 employees across consumer goods, retail and destinations, industrials, healthcare, engineering and services.
“Libyan teams will deliver it,” said Ahmed Gadalla.
The release adds that the first phase creates 350 jobs across café operations, supply chain and management, with local teams trained to MADO’s standards before each opening.
The structure is a familiar one in the region: a landlord-operator with its own malls and hotels takes a master licence and uses owned space to open the first units quickly. Brands looking at North Africa will note that the partner here brings real estate, capital and local staffing, not only a development commitment. Operators in the Gulf and Southeast Asia weighing similar group-led entries can compare it with the Kuwait master franchise signed by ACR Coffee Roasters, Wow! Momo’s Sri Lanka plan with Softlogic and Mom’s Touch in Kazakhstan. For regional context, see our guide to franchising in Kuwait.
