Will Electricity Crisis Make Lebanon’s Summer Pitch Black?
May 21, 2018 - An-Nahar Newspaper, Beirut, Lebanon
 

Lebanon is already renting two powerships, stationed at the shore and supplying electricity as a transitional solution. For the past year, the ministry of energy has been trying to rent two additional powerships, bypassing the Tenders Department.  LIMS has been insisting on going through the Tenders Department, for more transparency, knowing the department will reject the project and save about $850 million for taxpayers. In a bid to convince the cabinet, the minister of energy compared the cost of powerships to importing electricity from Syria. He argued that powerships will save around $15 million compared to the Syrian option. Dr. Mardini considers the study as being incomplete, as the third option of allowing market entry for private companies, was not regarded. The government requested the minister, to go through the Tenders Department for the two extra ones, while renewing the contract of the existing ones.

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Spikes in Oil Prices Might Lead to More Power Rationing
May 21, 2018 - Al Iktisad Online Magazine, Beirut, Lebanon

Dr. Mardini highlighted that the current electricity plan will lead to increasing costs on the Lebanese government. Given the spike in oil prices, the advance payment to Lebanon’s state-run electricity company, will not cover the electricity costs and once again, the government must decide to either ration or increase expenditures. He insisted that the best solution is to terminate electricity subsidies—which has been voted on, but not yet implemented —and allow the private sector to handle production and distribution.  Increasing production before handling those problems will be money wasted, he added.

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Public Hospital Employees Strike: Asking for More, While Providing Poor Services
May 9, 2018 - VDL Radio Station, Beirut, Lebanon

Dr. Mardini criticized the public hospital employees strike, accusing them of taking patients as hostage. In private hospitals, patients get good service, because employees know the patients are covering their salaries, while for public hospitals, the government, is paying, causing possible patient mistreatment to happen, he noted. Dissatisfied patients can move to private hospitals for their treatment, however, they will still be paying for public hospitals' employees through their taxes. Failure is rewarded, by the government pumping more taxpayer money into the mismanaged state entity.

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Fostering Inclusive Economic Growth in the MENA Region
May 2, 2018 - Jardins De L’Agdal Hotel, Marrakech, Morocco
 

Mr. Aref, attended a conference on the importance of inclusive economic growth in the MENA region. Social entrepreneurs from across the region shared their successful experiences and the measures they took to accomplish them. Outstanding results were achieved in empowering women and children, despite the limited amount of resources available to the entrepreneurs, who shared their success stories at a conference, held by the Arab Center for Social Research and Humane Studies in Marrakesh, Morocco.