Beirut conference urges private sector to embrace advanced ICT to compete globally

Press Release - The Daily Star

By Wissam Stetie
Special to The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Prominent Lebanese and American figures urged Lebanon Thursday to embrace information and communication technology (ICT) at the core of its decision-making process or it would not be able to compete globally in the future.

The remarks came during the first American Information and Communication Technology Conference and Exhibition which was inaugurated by the US Ambassador Maura Connelly along with Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas and organized by the US Commercial Service in collaboration with the American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce and the Arab ICT Organization at BIEL in Beirut.

Connelly noted that her arrival in Lebanon has encouraged her to see the private sector’s efforts to attract investment by the international business community and to promote Lebanon’s strongest sectors, such as information and communications technology.

“The positive impact of these efforts is illustrated by the presence of so many major US companies in Lebanon, such as Microsoft, Cisco, and Oracle,” Connelly said. “The Lebanese business community includes some of the most professional, creative, and dynamic innovators in the world and the opportunities for Lebanon’s ICT sector are limitless,” she added.

The ICT forum brings together 66 major American ICT companies to showcase the latest American ICT products and services, and to help Lebanese and American businesses capitalize on the robust bilateral commercial ties between the US and Lebanon as part of the United States commitment to fostering increased US investment in Lebanon’s ICT sector and to promoting enhanced trade and business relations between Lebanon and the US.

Under the title “Fulfilling the Promise of the Digital Age-for Everyone,” secretary general of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance James Poisant, pointed out how proud he was to be opening a regional office in Lebanon.

According to Poisant, in order to enjoy the benefits of the ICT revolution it is key for every nation to have a robust network.

“Building a network is like building a train in the old days, you need a track and you need infrastructure and broadband is it,” Poisant said. “The ICT industry should get together with the civil society, academia and NGOs to create a national strategic plan for the next 10 years.”

He noted that Lebanon could improve ICT by looking at other nations’ strategies and copying them. “ICT is the key driver of global economy and it is affecting every aspect of human life. Unless people in government and industry embrace ICT and stop looking at it as a product, it will be impossible to catch up,” Poisant said.