Beirut, 24 June 2014: Zain Group, the leading mobile telecommunications provider in the Middle East and North Africa, managing touch in Lebanon, organized “Zain Innovation Day” a workshop on innovation in ICT. The event was held under the patronage and in presence of the Lebanese Minister of Telecommunications Boutros Harb, on Tuesday, 24 June 2014, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beirut. This first of its kind workshop shed light on Zain’s plan of reshaping the future of the ICT market through innovation, as a number of success stories were presented in the same activity.

 

Zain Group CEO Scott Gegenheimer noted, “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank specifically the Ministry of Telecommunications, for being a strong and able partner throughout the development of the mobile communications sector in the country. Zain Group also remains committed to Lebanon as a country, and we look forward to achieving many more milestones in the future. We recognize the strong educational system that continually develops many young untapped talents and we cherish the strong entrepreneurial culture of all Lebanese. Lebanon’s adoption of technology and innovation is one of the fastest and highest in the region and all Lebanese should be proud of the many home grown successes in the technology and innovation arena.”

 

In his welcoming speech, Wassim Mansour Vice Chairman and General Manager of touch, said “touch aims to be an innovation’s incubator in the telecom sector on a national scale, as we promote creativity and entrepreneurship, especially amongst the youth. In line with this direction, touch has implemented several initiatives urging the youth to compete around creating the most innovative ideas in developing mobile apps. We will put forward at the end of this workshop a set of recommendations, which we aspire to activate and realize on ground. These recommendations aim primarily to contribute to the Lebanese economy’s growth, promote opportunities to support local abilities, increasing employment opportunities for the young generation and limiting the brain drain that Lebanon suffers from.”

 

Minister of Telecom, Boutros Harb, stated, “We thank Zain for this workshop, which serves as an ideal platform to speak about the Ministry’s future aspirations for the telecom sector in Lebanon. The Ministry will continue to take bold steps to enhance the telecom sector on the technical level or increasing coverage of services and improving them and making services available to every Lebanese citizen through price reduction, improving quality of services, and controlling expenditure, and continual innovation.”

 

The Minister added: “We embrace the theme of this event, as we adopt change and modernization as our motto. I am determined in choosing an option that confirms Lebanon’s pioneering role, and keeps it punctual with the technological developments, while equipping ourselves with a futuristic vision, embracing challenges, as we head to a world of new discoveries which you are discussing today. Evolution is essential, as we deem it necessary to stay well-informed of the recent developments in the technological world, specifically in the telecommunications sector, which has become an important element in our daily lives.”

 

This workshop falls under the corporate social responsibility initiatives of Zain, who is committed to the development of the telecom sector in all its markets. The Group seeks to support local initiatives by launching programs that contribute to the development of local communities and leveraging growth areas in various sectors. The program of the innovation workshop included lectures by renowned international speakers who discussed topics revolving around the importance of innovation and creativity as well as brainstorming sessions on what will serve Lebanon’s telecom sector best..