The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Ministry of Industry of Lebanon today launched a new project to develop industrial zones in the country.
The project, funded by the Government of Italy, will focus on helping solve problems relating to business infrastructure, attract investment, foster skilled manpower, and facilitate the growth of local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Lebanon currently faces a range of economic problems, many of which are due to a continuing refugee crisis, with refugees now accounting for more than half the population of country.
Industry Minister, Hussein Hajj Hasan, who spoke at the event, said that “the construction of industrial parks in Lebanon helps local manufacturers minimize the costs of production, while enabling them to compete with neighbouring countries”.
UNIDO will work in close collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and the Association of Lebanese Industrialists to prepare the masterplans for establishing pilot industrial zones in three selected locations and developing a capacity-building programme in industrial zone planning and design.
“Lebanon’s Ministry of Industry asked UNIDO to develop a programme to support the establishment of industrial zones to accelerate economic growth in most marginalized areas of the country and also provide basic infrastructure for Lebanese industry and private sector to develop,” said Philippe Scholtes, UNIDO Managing Director.
“We trust that our technical cooperation with Lebanon will help expand industrial production and create the much needed job opportunities.”
This project is part of the new UNIDO Country Programme for Lebanon for the period 2015-2018 that aims to expand industrial production with a special focus on industrial zone development, energy efficiency for industrial SMEs and support for food safety practices in the agro-industrial sector.
Source:https://www.unido.org/news/lebanon-develop-industrial-zones-stimulate-economic-growth