2005 press releases

Young Lebanese Entrepreneurs Travel to Bahrain

Celebrate Launch of G8 Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence

November 10, 2005

Twelve young Lebanese entrepreneurs will participate in a two-day conference in Manama, Bahrain, hosted by the Middle East Partnership Initiative and the Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence, November 16-17, 2005. Featuring practical business training and discussion of economic reform, the conference will bring together 120 entrepreneurs from 16 countries and territories in the Middle East and North Africa. The conference program will provide advanced business training and networking for owners and executives of growth companies in the region.

Entrepreneurs attending the conference are graduates of the Middle East Entrepreneur Training in the U.S. (MEET U.S.) program, which is sponsored by the U.S. State Department’s Middle East Partnership Initiative. Fourteen Lebanese entrepreneurs participated in the MEET US program during the last two years. This year, five young Lebanese entrepreneurs will participate in the program in San Diego, California. The Lebanese participants met with Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Elizabeth Dibble during her visit to Beirut, November 8, 2005, to discuss their participation in this U.S. Government-funded program.

The Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence in Bahrain, a joint initiative of the G8 and the Government of Bahrain under the Broader Middle East and North Africa partnership initiative, will also be officially launched during the conference. The Center will serve as a region-wide catalyst for entrepreneurial activity, job creation and economic development, and economic reform.

U.S. Ambassador William T. Monroe will offer the keynote address at the conference on the morning of November 16. Participants at the conference will also hear from international resource organizations, such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and the Financial Service Volunteer Corps. Participants will be able to share lessons learned from running their own companies, will receive cutting-edge training in negotiation, business communication and time management, and will participate in workshops on business regulation, innovation, and financing.

The conference organizer is the Beyster Institute at the Rady School, University of California, San Diego. The Beyster Institute is also implementing the full MEET-US program and is the lead consultant for the Center. Each of these activities is funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative, of which more information can be found at: www.mepi.state.gov.