Hamieh discusses with World Bank delegation reconstruction of port, public transport and roads project

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Minister of Public Works Ali Hamieh with a delegation from the World Bank headed by the Regional Director of the Mashreq Department at the Bank, Saroj Kumar Jha, addressed on Wednesday three main issues: the reconstruction of the Port of Beirut and the ministry’s work strategy, the roads project and the Greater Beirut and North Beirut project.

Kumar Jha indicated that the meeting "focused on a number of issues that Lebanon is facing," stressing that "the World Bank is ready to support Lebanon and the reconstruction of the Port of Beirut, as well as the public transportation sector and the roads project.”

He added: “We are ready to assist the government in facing challenges in this sector. We would like to support these efforts because of the importance of these sectors, and we must develop a guiding plan and a future vision for these projects.”

For his part, Hamieh underlined that "the World Bank is interested, like the rest of the world, in the reconstruction of the Port of Beirut and in carrying out other projects," noting that the World Bank has global credibility in terms of assisting countries in strategic projects for sustainable development and economic growth.

Hamieh considered that "the reconstruction of the port of Beirut is vital to the Lebanese state, because it is an important strategic facility that attracts investments and enhances the growth of the Lebanese economy."

Hamieh also addressed the public transportation topic highlighting its crucial role in revitalizing the economy.”

In this context, a meeting will be held Wednesday afternoon with the technical team of the World Bank to develop the required vision according to what was discussed.

Later in the day, Prime Minister Najib Mikati held a meeting with the delegation where Kumar Jha announced that the meeting "focused on reforms in the port, energy and other sectors, in addition to financing small and medium-sized companies," noting that "in the coming days, we will focus on developing a social safety net program for emergency cases, and mobilizing reforms in the electricity sector to secure the best quality of services, in addition to many projects.

In response to a question about assistance in the reform process, Kumar Jha said: "We can provide technical assistance and support, but the Lebanese state must manage the process of these reforms, and we have noticed progress in this regard."