Recommendations of the Iqlim Kharroub economic council to strengthen the economy of the area

The first forum of the Iklim Kharroub Economic Council held a press conference last week at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Trade in Beirut and Mount Lebanon to announce its recommendations which focused on the needs of the area and based on various studies.  A number of keynote addresses were made notably by the president of the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Chambers, Mohammed Shoucair, the President of the Federation of Mount Lebanon merchants, Nassib Gemayel, and the president of the association of Iklim al Kharroub merchants, Ahmad Muhieddine Alaeddine, who stressed that the Iqlim area needs some 3000 news job opportunities every year. He also highlighted the key recommendations of the various consultation meetings and encounters organized by the association of the Iklim al Kharroub merchants with the Federation of Chambers in Lebanon and various local economic actors.
The main recommendations which covered four key economic areas were as follows; a) supporting the capacities of workers in the agricultural sector to improve its competitiveness in local, regional and international markets, b) demanding the setting up of the industrial city in Qrey3ah and link it with a network of new roads in the Shuf, Iklim al Kharroub, Jezzine and Saida, and financing scientific studies and research collaboration.  Furthermore, and given the existing skills and capacities in Iklim al Kharroub, a particular recommendation was made to c) create an economic council focusing on technology so as to study ways to render the area attractive to investments.  Finally, the recommendations concerning the tourism sector focused on the need to create new eco and rural tourism projects and for collaboration with the Ministries of Tourism, Culture and UNESCO to re-start the programme aiming at preserving historical sites in the area.
Source: Al-Nahar, Al-Diyar 15 October 2014