Hariri launches
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said that the focus in the next phase should be on technology because it will shape our future and the future of our children, adding "we can invigorate this country together and we should focus on the important things, rather than on small things, such as what each one wants in the government."
Prime Minister Hariri's words came during his patronage today at the Grand Serail of the launching of the second edition of the "Summer of innovation".
He said: "I thank everyone for the efforts to make this work a success. It is our duty in the state and in the government to open up opportunities for young men and women to work in Lebanon. This was my goal in the previous government, and will remain the same in the next government."
He added: "I will not talk today about the government, because we are here for this project, through which we aim to define our vision for Lebanon and how we want it to be. We want our country to be advanced in technology, keep its youth here and become a hub for all kinds of technology in the region. We can do this especially that we have all the capacities. The ecosystem exists and we have to develop a program and expand our work to find broader areas of work.
The "summer of innovation" project is dear to my heart because it aims to develop young people since their youth so they can help the Lebanese economy and achieve their goals at the same time.
We can improve the country by focusing on the capabilities that we have. What we have is more important than the gas and oil that everyone is waiting for in the coming years and the focus now should be on technology that will shape our future and the future of our children.
This hall, in which we are meeting today, will be transformed into a center for you and your project. A large team will be accompanying you and will work in cooperation with the private sector, which will be the main engine. I thank you all and will continue to support you. We can invigorate this country together and we should focus on the important things, rather than on small things, such as what each one wants in the government."
The ceremony was held in collaboration with IDEAS, and in the presence of a large group of innovators from across Lebanon.
The minister of Telecommunications, Jamal Jarrah, said that "all that we do is to connect people together to advance and develop our economy and country."
Yasmina el Khoury Raphael, Head of Business Environment and Innovation at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, said: "In its second edition, Summer of Innovation has expanded to include not only youth activities but a variety of activities for all age groups and across Lebanon".
Programs
As a result, three programs were created promoting innovation in Lebanon: IDEAS, Bawabat al Ibtikar, and Startup Scouts.
IDEAS is an NGO working to transform the business environment and push innovation across all sectors in Lebanon. It is designed to concentrate the efforts of the private sector on developing key strategic building blocks that will accelerate long-term prosperity for the country.
Bawabat al Ibtikar is designed to drive STEAM activities and instructions to students in all public schools through a connected and structured setting managed by the schools themselves with the support of public and private sector stakeholders.
Startup Scouts is a program designed from the belief that everyone in Lebanon deserves the same right to high quality entrepreneurship education, and that everyone across the MENA region deserves the same high-quality entrepreneurship education and support as someone in London, Boston, or Silicon Valley.
Source: National News Agency