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How to benefit from USAID technical support to SMEs

10-5-2018

The USAID-funded Lebanon Enterprise Development (LED) project in partnership with the Business Incubation Association in Tripoli (BIAT), discussed yesterday the development of the said project in the country and how to benefit from its technical support. The meeting was held in the presence of Edward Wade, head of the US Diplomatic Mission in Beirut led by a delegation from the US Embassy. During the meeting, Douglas Griffiths, managing director of LED, said the aim of the project is to provide more jobs through backing the private sector and entrepreneurship, and dodging hitches that might hinder the process and the creation of jobs. The initiative is directed towards all the regions in Lebanon, Griffiths stated. He then outlined the project and identified the areas that can be exploited to find ways to determine targeted sectors. Wade, in his turn, said he hoped the project will be successful in generating employment, and is looking forward to helping the Lebanese economy. The undertaking, he mentioned, is keen to support entrepreneurship across various sectors, stressing that any activity which provides jobs could benefit from assistance. (Al Mustaqbal, May 10, 2018)

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Garden Show & Spring Festival in Beirut

9-5-2018

Under the patronage of the First Lady, Nadia Aoun, and the support of Beirut Governor, Ziad Shebib, the 15th edition of the Garden Show & Spring Festival will take place at the Beirut Hippodrome on May 30th. Under the theme, ‘Sounds in the Garden’, the 4-day event organized by Hospitality Services and Miriam Shuman, is expected to receive over 20 thousand visitors. Some 220 exhibitors will showcase beautiful plants and flowers, as well as, latest gardening equipment and trends in outdoor furniture and spaces. The show will also host workshops with horticulture specialists, in addition to a farmer’s market that promotes local produce. To note, Travel Lebanon in its 5th edition will be held concurrently with the above show. It will spotlight the tourism sector in the country through gathering some 60 local tour operators, eco-tourism experts, NGOs and municipalities, while helping showgoers plan their summer holidays in Lebanon. (Al Diyar, May 9, 2018)

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Major French shipping agency funds four Lebanese startups

4-5-2018

The general manager of the French maritime transport, CMA CGM Group, Rodolph Saadeh, granted during his visit to Lebanon this week a sum of USD 100 thousand to four Lebanese startups selected by his company within the partnership framework with the incubator SMART ESA. According to said agreement, CMA CGM will contribute through its holding merit venture to the development and support of startups covered by the incubator (https://bit.ly/2HuFDpH ). Saadeh announced during a ceremony held yesterday on the occasion at Le Grey, Beirut, the names of the winning startups assigning USD 25,000 for each, in return for 8.5% of its capital. The winning startups are: BlocRecs, which offers blockchain technologies for storage and transmission of information remotely in order to verify the authenticity of university degrees; Otocar, allows parents to follow in real time the school bus trips of their children; Reable, supports persons with disabilities to be financially dependent, and finally, Triend, innovating an application for travel reservations via the internet. (L’Orient Le Jour, May 4, 2018)

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USEK Entrepreneurship competition

3-5-2018

The Asher Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) organized its annual entrepreneurship competition: USEK New Venture Challenge 2018. Three winning projects were selected from the fields of engineering, agriculture, music, health, sports, science, business and technology. Student Jason Asaad won the first place for his ‘Overlay’ venture, followed by Hussein Fawwaz for ‘Fusion’. The third winners were Antony Azzi and Elie Nasr for their joint ‘Parasun’ project. On the occasion, the director of the Asher Center, Elias Abu Fadel, stressed the importance of the event not as a student competition, but also as an opportunity to highlight the interest of the university, its deans and professors in supporting entrepreneurs and in their efforts to find solutions to the challenges they face, in addition to the provision of required resources and promotion of the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship inside USEK campus. (Al Akhbar, May 3, 2018)

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Agro-food industry appeals for protection from imports and foreign labor

3-5-2018

A delegation from the syndicate of agro-food establishments in Lebanon represented by Arslan Sinno, Ahmad Hoteit and Claude Baqalian visited President Michel Aoun yesterday demanding protection of the food trade and manufacturing industry. This includes protection from dumping by a number of countries which leads to inequitable competition with the Lebanese food sectors in general and the vegetable oil and mills sectors in particular. The delegation also pressed for the enforcement of protective fees on targeted varieties that results in an unrealistic increase in imports, or to allow the Lebanese establishments to work without hindrances and therefore continue to provide prospects for the local labor force. Aoun, in turn, promised to follow up the delegation’s requests, stressing the need for preventive measures to cut the competition of foreign labor and to end the dumping of the local markets. (Al Diyar, May 3, 2018)

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Community policing & human rights

2-5-2018

A ceremony was held on April 30 for the graduation of some 39 men and women members of the Ashrafieh Police Unit who completed a 3-round community police course. The event took place at the ISF Institute, Aramun, under the patronage of the ISF Director General, Brigadier General, Imad Othman, represented by Commander of the ISF Institute, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Hajjar, in the presence of US Embassy representative and the Director of the Office of Drug Control and Law Enforcement at the Embassy, Wesley Robertson. Hajjar pointed out that the ISF strategic plan is based on bolstering partnership with society in line with the slogan, ‘together towards a safer society’. He made clear that the capabilities at hand at the ISF are directed to increase the skills and competence of ISF members for the better application of the principles of human rights conventions. Robertson, for his part, lauded the collaboration between his embassy and the Internal Security Forces to the end of strengthening the community police. Likewise, the Commander of the Regional Police Department at Beirut Police, Brig. Gen. Hussein Khasfeh, underlined the importance of the application of the human rights principles the beneficiaries learned from the above session, which, as he said, is the first in many others to come. (Al Mustaqbal, May 1, 2018)

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A new plan to revive apple growing in Keserwan-Jbeil

30-4-2018

The candidate for the Maronite seat in Kesserwan-Jbeil district, Neemeh George Frem announced in a press conference on Saturday the launch of an inclusive strategy to bolster the apple growing sector thus giving it an added value to the national economy. The plan, to note, is in collaboration with George N. Frem Institution, INDEVCO, Liban Village and Lebanon Apple Association. Frem underlined the need to improve the quality of Lebanese apples and resolve the marketing and disposal stalemate, stressing the importance of Lebanon’s production of first class varieties. Candidate Frem pledged to carry this matter to the Legislative in the event of winning the elections and thus pressure for the ratification of draft bills that sanction the reduction of customs tariffs on exported items, facilitate trade agreements, support the sales of domestic apples, counter smuggling, as well as allow farmers to benefit from social security and from subsidized loan packages to the desired end. Frem highlighted the conditions for the development of the apples sector, in the forefront of which comes the enhancement of the quality of the fruit, increase of the first rate produce and the provision of outlets and means to dispose of the second and third rate apples in the local markets. As such, Lebanon can conclude trade agreements that promote made-in-Lebanon apples and expand their global outreach. (Al Mustaqbal, April 30, 2018)

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Two Lebanese teams are winners at and Arab startup competition

27-4-2018

Two Lebanese teams in the respective Ideas and Social Entrepreneurship Tracks were announced winners at the 11th edition of the annual MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region held in the sultanate of Oman on April 19. Lebanon has had an active participation in the event with some 20 teams qualified to the semifinals. The leading mobile and data operator in Lebanon, Touch, has organized a training workshop in Beirut before moving to the finals. The forum’s closing ceremony, held in partnership with Jameel Community and in cooperation with the digital partner, Zain Group, and this year’s strategic partners, Riyada and Omantel, awarded 10 winning teams from 7 Arab states in the presence of more than 400 investors and business entrepreneurs. In the Ideas Track, the 1st runner up was the Lebanese Spike company, which helps diabetic patients manage their insulin consumption via software and hardware innovations, and in the Social Entrepreneurship, the 1st runner up was the Lebanese Fabric Aid, which implements a successful European model which stimulates NGOs to collect more clothing without having to worry about expenses and distribution. To note, Fabric Aid has come first place in an international competition organized recently.(Al Mustaqbal, April 27, 2018)
 
Related news:
 
FabricAID wins first prize in world entrepreneurship competition
 

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International Maritime Academy in Junieh

24-4-2018

In the presence of social, political and economic figures, Junieh saw last week the launch of the International Maritime Academy, which is the first academy accredited by the International Sailing School Association (ISSA) in the MENA region. To note, the Academy is a private institute offering its students the opportunity to acquire international certificates and enter the labor market with proper professional and expertise skills, and to empower them to ride the waves safely. Speakers during the opening ceremony, stressed that the Academy seeks to enhance the maritime culture and expand the career spectrum in a country suffering a high rate of unemployment. (Al Akhbar, April 24, 2018)

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Challenges facing the Lebanese retail sector in recession

23-4-2018

The Lebanese Franchise Association, (LFA), inaugurated on April 18 the Beirut International Franchise Forum and Exhibition BIFEX 2018 under the patronage of prime minister Saad Hariri represented by economy minister, Raed Khoury. On the occasion, the head of the Federation of Chambers in Lebanon, Mohamad Choukeir, underlined the importance of this year’s slogan, “Retail in Lebanon: Sustainability and Growth” in light of the substantial decline (9%) recorded by the retail sector during the past few years. He demanded placing this issue at the top of the priorities of authorities concerned, as it requires drastic solutions including, the acceleration of the economic cycle, liquidity injection into the markets, improvement of the Lebanese customer’s confidence and finally, combatting smuggling and counterfeit activities. The event which lasted until April 21, included specialized panel discussions with Lebanese and international experts from the UK, Germany, Sweden and the US, that tackled subjects like, competitive chaos, the consumer and new consumption patterns, future growth patterns, cooperation to secure transition from ideas to strategies in companies and the importance of innovation in economic growth. Towards the end of the forum, Hariri said Lebanon needs the concerted efforts of all its people to contribute to the process of reconstruction, pointing to the Cedar donor conference which presents a real opportunity for the country’s economic resurgence, as he said. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, April 18, 19, 20, 2018)

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