On September 9, Azm University President Ramez Maluf joined a meeting of university presidents at the office of Minister of State for Information Technology and Investment Adel Afiouni during which an exposition of the ministry’s ambitious plans was presented.
Minister Afiouni discussed with participants his plan to make of the digital sector an important pillar of Lebanon’s economy, calling on, and challenging the country’s universities to cooperate with the public and private sectors in this endeavor. Lebanon, said Minister Afiouni, enjoys a significant capital of skilled technicians that could undergird a successful digital sector given the right collaboration between the government, business, and universities. He called on universities to offer their students the ability and the motivation to develop their technological aptitudes.
It was agreed by participants that a follow-up committee of university representatives would meet periodically to follow up on collective or bilateral cooperation with the ministry. Dr. Maluf has appointed Mr. Hani Mawlawi, Director of Quality Assurance and the Entrepreneurship Center, to represent Azm University in the committee.
During the meeting, Minister Afiouni announced his intention to launch a competition challenging university students to offer projects that can be implemented by the Ministry of State for Investment and Technology. Winners of the competition, he said, would then be asked to come to the ministry where they would be offered the opportunity to implement their projects. Preparations for this competition will follow in the coming weeks.
In addition to Dr. Maluf, others present at the meeting included the member of the Board of Trustees of the Antonine University, former Minister Demianos Qattar, the President of the Lebanese University Dr. Fouad Ayoub, the President of Beirut Arab University Dr. Omar Adawi, the Head of the Department of Informatics at the American University of Beirut Dr. Youssef Asfour representing the President of the University Dr. Fadlo Khoury, and the Assistant to the President of the Lebanese American University, Dr. Saad al-Zein.