Minister of Industry Joe Issa El Khoury: The Ministry of Industry is at the service of industrialists

Minister of Industry Joe Issa El Khoury:

The Ministry of Industry is at the service of industrialists

El Khoury: Lebanon exports technological industries

Zeenni: Industry is the backbone of the economy

Al Shabab: The strength of industry is the strength of the entire state

El Abdallah: The industrial sector is the “sector of miracles”

Beirut, February 5, 2026 “Do not ask what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country.” With this quote, Minister of Industry Joe Issa El Khoury opened the honorary luncheon hosted the day before yesterday by Ali Mahmoud El Abdallah, Chairman of AMACO Group, on the occasion of appointing Adel Al Shabab as the new Director General of the Ministry of Industry

The minister added: “Industrialists are the true resistance in this country, because despite all the obstacles they face and that are imposed on them, they remain steadfast and continue to raise Lebanon’s name through their production.”

Speaking at the gathering held at the Phoenicia Hotel and moderated by journalist Bassam Abu Zeid were: President of the Association of Industrialists Salim Zeenni, Director General of the Ministry of Industry Adel Al Shabab, and Chairman of AMACO Group Ali Mahmoud El Abdallah.

Also attending the luncheon were former ministers Fadi Abboud and Frige Sabaounjian, MP Mohamad Sleiman, President of the South Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture Mohamad Saleh, Director General of the Ministry of Economy Dr. Mohamad Abu Haidar, President of the World Cultural Union Abbas Fawaz, President of the International Chamber of Commerce Wajih Al Bizri, President of the Bekaa Industrialists Gathering Nicolas Abou Faisal, President of the Metn North Industrialists Gathering Charles Muller, President of the Choueifat and Surroundings Industrialists Gathering Joe Bustani, Vice Presidents of the Association of Industrialists Ziad Bekdache and Georges Nasraoui, Head of the Food Industries Syndicate Ramez Bou Nader, members of the Association’s board, as well as industrialists, businessmen, and media representatives.

Joe Issa El Khoury: Lebanon Exports Technological Industries

In his speech, Minister El Khoury said:
“As my friend Salim Zeenni said, you should be proud of yourselves. I am proud of all the production Lebanon offers. We should never be ashamed of the industrial sector. On the contrary, we must all work to improve production quality in some sectors and take pride in what we do.”

He added:

“Four days ago, a merger was announced between ‘Multilane,’ based in Houmal and founded by Fadi Daou, and ‘Teradyne,’ listed on the New York Stock Exchange with a valuation of $40 billion. This agreement will attract investments of around $200 million and includes part of Multilane’s operations in Lebanon. We manufacture, create, and export technological industries to the United States.”

He continued:
“I am very happy with Adel Al Shabab. I may remain in the ministry for only a few more months, and I was concerned about finding someone who would stay with you and accompany you over the next 10 to 15 years. Adel is not yet fifty, so you will be together for a long time. It was essential to choose someone competent, a good administrator, and ‘clean’ and Adel has all three qualities.

“When we interviewed him, along with representatives from the Civil Service Board and OMSAR, we met many qualified candidates around 12 in total but Adel was the only one who arrived with a full action plan. He clearly presented the Ministry of Industry’s positioning, its relationships with various administrations, and existing challenges. He had a complete file, and everyone on the panel chose him.”

El Khoury concluded:
“I expect the Ministry of Industry to be at the service of industrialists, because Adel believes the Lebanese administration’s role is to motivate the private sector. Historically, it was the private sector that achieved prosperity and developed Lebanon. The public sector’s role is not to manage the private sector, but to ask it what it needs and how it can be supported through legislation and better conditions. This is our conviction in government, and it is also what distinguishes Adel Al Shabab. I wish him and all of you every success. My door remains open. I also thank Ali El Abdallah for organizing this gathering, which offered an opportunity to reunite with friends.”

Salim Zeenni: Industry Is the Backbone of the Economy

President of the Association of Industrialists Salim Zeenni said:
“First, I thank Mr. Ali El Abdallah for this gathering not only to honor the new Director General, but also for bringing together industrialists, former officials, and all those connected to the industrial sector.

“Today we honor Adel. I did not know him previously, but his words impressed me concise and meaningful because real work is the true honor. God willing, we will work together, as he joined a ministry entrusted to Minister Joe Issa El Khoury, who introduced a new approach to public service.”

He added:
“In recent decades, public service came to mean people serving the state, whereas it should mean placing the state at the service of people. Industry urgently needs support today, as we have passed through extremely difficult stages, yet we remain the backbone of the economy thanks to industrialists who chose to stay in Lebanon.

“Lebanese industry rivals and surpasses many others. To anyone who thinks Lebanon is based on trade, I say no Lebanon is industry, and everything else branches from it. Today, we are proud of our industry. We move forward with strength, flexibility, resilience, and resistance, and we will remain in this country to raise its flag.”

Adel Al Shabab: The Strength of Industry Is the Strength of the Entire State

Director General Adel Al Shabab said:
“I thank you for this generous initiative, which I consider a great moral honor not only for me personally, but for a journey rooted in belief in the role of the state and its institutions. My appointment is first and foremost a national responsibility during a sensitive phase requiring clarity of vision, courage in decision-making, and commitment to institutional work based on competence and integrity.

“Despite all crises, national industry has proven it is a vital sector capable of resilience and creativity. The Ministry of Industry must be supportive and motivating, based on partnership with the industrial sector, facilitating procedures, enhancing transparency, and protecting national production within the law.”

He added:
“To Lebanese industrialists the backbone of the economy you are true partners in safeguarding it. The Ministry of Industry is your natural home, and it cannot fulfill its role without your cooperation and trust. Success in the ministry is success for industry, and the strength of industry is the strength of the entire state.”

He concluded by thanking Minister Joe Issa El Khoury for his support and stressing that cooperation is a necessity, not a choice.

Ali Mahmoud El Abdallah: The Industrial Sector Is the “Sector of Miracles”

Ali Mahmoud El Abdallah said:
“It is our honor to welcome you to this industrial family gathering under the patronage of Minister Joe Issa El Khoury, celebrating a new milestone in the Ministry of Industry with the appointment of Adel Al Shabab.

“What strikes me most is that we industrialists share common traits otherwise we would not have survived what is truly a ‘sector of miracles.’ We are deeply rooted in Lebanon, passionate about industry, innovative, and successful in global markets despite high risks. Every industrialist should be proud, because we are the shoulder Lebanon leans on in times of hardship.”

He congratulated Minister El Khoury for his efforts in modernizing the sector and supporting innovation, praised the Association of Industrialists led by Salim Zeenni, and congratulated Adel Al Shabab, describing him as competent, self-made, respected, honest, balanced, and dedicated.

El Abdallah highlighted how Lebanese industry, despite crises, wars, financial collapse, and state abandonment, expanded to over 100 export markets worldwide, embraced digital transformation and green energy, and demonstrated remarkable resilience.

He concluded:
“I call on Lebanese to refocus on industry the ‘sector of miracles’ to achieve food, medical, economic, and social security. Industry brings foreign currency, creates jobs, drives innovation, attracts investment, reduces imports, and helps restore confidence in Lebanon.”