[LCM Articles] MIT gathering believes in Hi-Tech Lebanon (Daily Star Article 06/10/06)

[Ghassan Najib Fayad]

More Articles about TechLEB|06 from Lebanon.

Regards,
Ghassan Fayad
Secretary of the Lebanese Club @ MIT

You can use the link (Copy & Paste):
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?article_ID=73084&categ_ID=3&edition_id=1
or
Check the Article Below:


MIT gathering believes in hi-tech Lebanon
Measures include call centers, arabization of software

By Raed El Rafei
Daily Star staff
Saturday, June 10, 2006

BEIRUT: Turning Lebanon into a regional IT and software hub can be achieved if
proper decisions were taken by the government. This conclusion came after two
days of deliberations and discussions during the first international conference
on technology development in Lebanon (TECHLEB/06) (www.techlebconference.com)
held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States in
May of this year.

A group of Lebanese expatriates studying and working in the US succeeded in
gathering business leaders, decision makers and economic development experts to
address the potential of the technology sector in Lebanon and lay the ground
work for a road map of development strategies and initiatives.

Speakers and participants at the conference proposed a number of measures such
as developing infrastructures, setting regulatory frameworks, improving market
access and mobilizing financial resources

"Lebanon has a great potential for becoming a vibrant and sustainable technology
hub in the Middle East and North Africa region," the conference chair Loai
Naamani told The Daily Star on a visit to Lebanon.

The conference came up with a concrete set of recommendations not only for the
government but also for the private sector, academia, the media, expatriates
and civil society, according to Naamani, who is pursuing his doctorate at MIT.

Beyond recommendations, the conference's planning committee has started setting
into motion specialized working groups and task forces to identify gaps,
specify areas where achievements could be made, and coordinate efforts with the
various stakeholders.

One of these initiatives, the OpenMarket Working Group, "will help Lebanese
entrepreneurs access the global market by introducing them to strategic US
customers," Naamani said. The group already includes top executives from
leading companies, namely, IBM, Microsoft, RedLine Communications and Vernier
Networks.

The conference also showcased success stories of hi-tech ventures in Lebanon and
abroad and featured international experts to talk about models of
technology-driven economic development in countries like Ireland, India, and
Eastern Europe, Naamani said.

One of the key speakers according to Naamani was John Cullinane, founder of the
first successful software products company, who pointed out why Lebanon has to
invest in the area of "smart" call centers as Ireland did in the past.
Cullinane gave as an example specialized call centers which act as help and
support desks for nurses.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb

Naamani sees this is an area that doesn't need much in the way of financial
resources and where Lebanon's multi-lingual skilled human capital is very much
needed.

"I believe call centers would create job opportunities exponentially," he said.
He added that such an initiative would attract multinationals servicing this
area as well as local companies which are realizing the importance of
outsourcing their call centers.

Other areas where Lebanon could be leading include the Arabization of software
and computer games that are politically and socially relevant to the region.

So far, the response of the Lebanese government has been very positive.
Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamade also promised to set up a call-center
unit under his supervision and will issue, within weeks, a decree that would
legalize voice-over Internet protocol technology, which is today the main cost
barrier for the establishment of call centers in Lebanon, Naamani said.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora announced last week the establishment
of a unit for the development of the technology sector grouping representatives
from several ministries, the private sector and civil society.

For Naamani, the government should assume the role of "an industry facilitator
and promoter" by developing the legal and technical infrastructure while
"staying in the back seat during the ride."

He stressed, however, the importance of fighting corruption, promoting good
governance principles and ensuring political stability as essential
prerequisites for technology development in Lebanon.

Another project Naamani and his group are working on currently is bringing
Endeavor, a leading nonprofit organization that fosters private-sector
development, to work in Lebanon. Endeavor works in Latin America, South Africa
and Turkey to stimulate and support high-impact entrepreneurship in emerging
markets.