Finance Minister Discusses Cooperation Priorities with World Bank

Minister of Finance Yasin Jabber received a delegation from the "World Bank," comprising: Dalia Khalifeh, Regional Director for the Middle East at the World Bank; Enrique Armas, Country Director of the World Bank in Lebanon; and Rima Qatish, Lead Specialist in Public Financial Management at the World Bank, alongside General Financial Manager Georges Maalouf and advisors Samir Hamoud and Zina Kassim.

The meeting addressed a range of priority issues within the partnership between Lebanon and the World Bank. Regional connectivity through road and railway networks topped the discussion, given its role in boosting trade and revitalizing the economy.

The participants also discussed the electricity sector, particularly enhancing the implementation of metering systems to improve revenue collection and support the power transmission network, under an ongoing project in collaboration with the World Bank.

The meeting covered reforms in trade and customs, as well as additional financing dedicated to supporting customs reforms. Regarding the financial sector, both sides discussed mechanisms for launching housing loans and solar energy financing, adopting public-private partnerships, guarantees in collaboration with the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and ongoing discussions with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on these programs.

They also reviewed the digital identity project and the current digital lab operating within the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Development (OMSAR), and examined the progress of ongoing projects, including GATE and LEAP.

Jabber affirmed that "the Ministry is committed to accelerating the implementation of reforms and strengthening cooperation with the World Bank to support the recovery of the Lebanese economy and improve public revenues."