The Partnership for Lebanon, which consists of business leaders from five US corporations, has announced progress in its efforts to help bring long-term economic growth and stability to Lebanon.
Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft; Craig Barrett, chairman, Intel Corporation; John Chambers, chairman and CEO, Cisco; Yousif B Ghafari, chairman, Ghafari, Inc.; and Dr Ray Irani, chairman, president and CEO, Occidental Petroleum Corporation are the leaders of the Partnership for Lebanon.
The partnership is a multi-national effort designed to help the people of Lebanon build a better future by expanding the reach of education and workforce training, creating jobs, building out the country’s technology infrastructure, and connecting communities and government.
In January, the partnership announced focus on five key areas critical to creating sustainable economic growth in Lebanon: connected communities/connected government; workforce training and education; job creation/private sector revival; information communication technology infrastructure; and relief and response.
Today, the Partnership announced progress in a variety of these efforts:
* Connected Communities: The Partnership has launched IT-based transformation projects through full-service online community access points in local villages and towns. These “connected communities” will use technology to more efficiently deliver government and social services – education, workforce training, health care – and to promote creative solutions to community development challenges. The Partnership has engaged Mercy Corps, an established non-governmental organization (NGO) to collaborate with Lebanese organizations like the Professional Computer Association (PCA) and government agencies like the Ministry of Social Affairs, to ensure the success of the connected community initiative.
The Partnership announced this week that a pilot program for five connected communities will be established in the towns and villages of Alma al Chaab, Baalbeck, Bint Jbeil, Bourj al Barajneh, and Nabatieh. Initially, all of the community centers will be upgraded to the same level of computing equipment and connectivity. As the project moves forward the Partnership, through Mercy Corps, will work closely with community leaders and local citizens to assess the particular needs of their villages, and tailor community center resources and services accordingly. After the initial Pilot implementation period, the Partnership will consider expanding the program beyond the first five locations.
* Education and Workforce Training: The Partnership continues its focus on providing education and job training for Lebanese youth, announcing this week that it will place more than 500 qualified Lebanese interns at leading companies and government agencies in Lebanon, the U.S, and across the globe over the next three years. The internships will provide the next generation of Lebanese leaders with critical skills training, preparing them to compete in a 21st century global marketplace.
Last week, the first 15 interns from Lebanon arrived in the United States, and are currently undergoing orientation for work at Cisco’s corporate headquarters in California and at the Cisco Networking Academy support center in Arizona. Intel and Cisco are also receiving five Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) interns at their corporate headquarters in California.
* Job Creation/Private Sector Revival: The Partnership is working to grow Lebanon’s private sector and create jobs in six key industries: technology, tourism, banking and finance, agribusiness, health care, and manufacturing. Lebanon has a rich history of entrepreneurship and can accelerate growth and innovation through business alliances that offer support in the areas of channel distribution, marketing, business expertise, etc. As such, the<