SouthBIC opens new outreach office in Nabatiyeh

Another desk to open in Tyr by mid-2013

The South Business Innovation Centre (SouthBIC) has recently opened its first outreach bureau in Nabatiyeh. The new office is located within the premises of the Association of Nabatiyeh Traders. SouthBIC is the first business development center in South Lebanon offering incubation services to both start-ups and existing small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Ahmad Kilani, SouthBIC coordinator, said the new extension will facilitate the application process for entrepreneurs: “The new outreach will help entrepreneurs residing in the Nabatiyeh region to present their documents at a nearby station, rather than having to go all the way to Sidon.”

SouthBIC will be opening another outreach bureau in Tyr by mid-2013. The new office will likely be housed in the same building as the Association of Tyr Traders, but is pending funding.

Kilani said SouthBIC’s main incubator in Sidon will still be the main facility. “We have added a new exhibition center to Sidon’s main branch, which will become operational very soon.” The new center totals a space of 2,000 square meters. The Sidon exhibition center and the Nabatiyeh branch were both funded by a $200,000-grant from the EU.

SouthBIC was established by the funding of the EU delegation in Lebanon through the Integrated SME Support Program run by the Ministry of Economy and Trade. The board of directors is made up of three important economic and social groupings in the South: The Chamber of Commerce of Sidon and South Lebanon, the Municipality of Sidon, and the Hariri Foundation.