LOC16:37
13:37 GMT
BEIRUT, Jan 8 (KUNA) --- The Arab Planning Institute (API) General Director Dr. Bader Al-Shami affirmed on Monday interest in refining Lebanese work force's abilities and preparing them to take initiatives for a successful future.
This came in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) after a delegation from the Kuwait-headquartered institute met with Prime Minister of the Lebanese caretaker government, Najib Mikati, where they discussed economic growth and future of the Lebanese economy.
Al-Shami said facts revealed in Lebanon's latest budget highlight a number of "achievements" compared to previous years, which were positive and could further be built upon to make positive results in the future.
He pointed out that start of the economic wheel contributes to moving the situation in Lebanon in a positive way, stressing the importance of political stability.
Furthermore, Al-Shami elaborated on the role of the API in supporting political and economic institutions in Arab countries through a number of programs and initiatives, especially small and medium enterprises.
The API's role for which it was established and the contributions of Arab countries to it is "to develop the human and technical capabilities of individuals" and enable them to contribute to creating a promising future for their countries, Al-Shami stated.
Al-Shami mentioned that the institute's delegation will visit the Basil Fuleihan Financial and Economic Institute in Lebanon and hold a meeting with the president of the institute, Lamia Al-Moubayed Bissat.
Bissat is the representative of the Minister of Finance on the Board of Trustees of the AP. She directly supervises the institute and coordinates through the Basil Fuleihan Institute for implementing training programs in Lebanon.
The delegation of the API included the head of the administrative body, Karim Darwiche, the director of the Small and Medium Enterprises Center, Dr. Ihab Magableh, and the director of the Statistics and Decision Support Unit, Abdullah Al-Mutairi.
The API will launch today the national project to spread the culture of entrepreneurship and self-employment in the norther city of Tripoli. It is a training program aimed at working on small and medium enterprises from idea to operation and development. (end)
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