Shahadeh: Lebanon Has an Opportunity to Rebuild Public Administration on Digital Foundations

The Faculty of Business Administration at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik hosted Minister of Displaced Affairs and Minister of State for Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Kamal Shahadeh, on the occasion of the launch of the "Work-Ready Business School Model," aimed at enhancing students' professional readiness and linking academic education with labor market needs, in the presence of a number of faculty members and students.

Initially, the Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Daniella Khalifeh Freijeh, presented the model, noting that it "integrates employability, professional skills, and experience-based learning into various academic programs."

She discussed the Faculty's partnerships with prestigious institutions, companies, and professional bodies, alongside professional certifications linked to international organizations," stressing "the importance of providing graduates, in addition to academic knowledge, with the experience, skills, and certifications that enhance their readiness to enter the labor market."

Then, Minister Shahadeh gave a lecture within the digital transformation course offered by the Faculty in partnership with the Ministry, affirming that "digital transformation in Lebanon cannot succeed through the work of one ministry in isolation from other institutions, but rather requires a clear distribution of roles and continuous coordination among the various concerned parties."

He clarified that "the role of the Ministry lies in setting policies, strategies, and digital legislation, developing national digital infrastructure, and establishing frameworks for data governance and artificial intelligence, in integration with the Ministry of Administrative Development, which undertakes administrative reform and prepares ministries and public institutions for digital transformation, and with the Ministry of Telecommunications regarding telecommunications infrastructure and data centers."

Shahadeh stressed that "the goal is to build a digital state based on clarity of powers and institutional integration, so that technology becomes a tool for improving the efficiency of public administration and the quality of services provided to citizens, and not a new source of overlapping jurisdictions."

He pointed out that "cybersecurity constitutes an essential part of the digital transformation and artificial intelligence system," confirming that "protecting government platforms and citizen data must be part of the design process from the beginning, while fully preserving the legal powers of the judiciary, security, and military authorities without replacing or diminishing them."

Shahadeh concluded by affirming that "Lebanon faces an opportunity to rebuild public administration on modern digital foundations, through clear legislation, specialized institutions, effective government coordination, and investment in competencies and innovation, placing technology and artificial intelligence at the service of the state and the citizen."