Business People and Academicians Directing Students to Overcome Unemployment and Establish Their Own Business "Beirut Arab University Launches the Center for Entrepreneurship"

Beirut Arab University launched the Centre for Entrepreneurship in a meeting on 20 October 2011 assigned to announce the CFE, its goals and mission. The President, Prof. Amr Galal El Adawi; the Secretary General, Mr. Issam Houri; and the Director of the CFE, Dr. Leila Abboud, attended the meeting along with the Board who are initially civil society entities and leading figures in Business.
The meeting began with a welcoming of the president, Prof. Amr Galal El Adawi. He reviewed the stages of development of the university campuses in Beirut, Debbieh, Tripoli and Bekaa. The president stressed that “The launching of the CFE stems from the fact that the role of the university does not end with the granting of student certificates; rather, it continues to follow them up till they secure positions in their communities. He also stressed the need to change the culture of the youth in the Arab world for them to progress in light of current changes. The president pointed out that the CFE “would pave the way for the youth to show their capabilities and potentials by providing ideas”. Then the director of the CFE, a professor in economics, Dr. Leila Abboud, presented the goals and mission of the center and noted that “The Center’s success is directly related to building alliances with experts from all fields. She also stressed that “The CFE is designed to serve not only university students but also all segments of the society in the hope that this would contribute to the development of the Lebanese industry and economy”.
The CFE contributes to motivating students as well as community members to take initiatives to create successful ideas based on innovation, concern for development and deepening of the scientific research, and linking it to the social needs. In addition, the CFE provides technical support and all possible facilities for the projects submitted, guides pioneers to get the necessary funding and the necessary licenses, and gives students and other project applicants the opportunity to meet business people to speed up the process of implementing their projects.
The CFE Board is chaired by the President Prof. El Adawi, and includes the Businessman, Dr. Jamal El Badawi; the Businessman and Artist, Ragheb Alameh; the Director-General for Economy and Business Group, Mr. Raouf Abou Zaki; the Economic Advisor, Mr. Rojeh Milki; the Businessman and owner of Tamer Group, Mr. Gabi Tamer; and the Former President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Ghazi Kraitem. Participants from civil society are the Businessman and Mayor of Sidon, Mr. Mohammad El Saoudi; the Chairman of the Corporation for Investment Development Authority in Lebanon (IDAL), Mr. Nabil Itani; and the UNIDO EDIP Coordinator in Beirut-Mount Lebanon, Professor Nisreen El Kasti Salhab. Participants from Beirut Arab University are: the Dean of the College of Engineering, Prof. Khaled Baghdadi; the Dean of Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration, Prof. Nihal Mostapha; the Secretary General of BAU, Mr. Issam Houri; and the member of the Board of Trustees of Wakf Al Berr Wal Ihsan, Dr. Ayman Houri.