October 06, 2010

Dr. Imad Hoballah signed an Agreement with the World Bank to grant the TRA the amount of $492,300 from the World Bank’s Institutional Development Fund (IDF). This grant will assist in the financing of the project titled “Telecommunications Regulatory Capacity Building” and will therefore support the TRA in streamlining internal processes, strengthening external transparency, improving external communications with stakeholders and building technical capacity on specific regulatory issues. This grant will also help the TRA in setting a general telecom policy framework by coordinating with the Ministry of Telecommunications and in hiring an independent and qualified audit firm to undertake annual audits of the books related to the IDF grant activities. Achieving these objectives will enable TRA to be a credible, efficient, and responsive regulator for the Lebanese telecommunications sector.

Strengthening the regulatory environment for telecommunications in Lebanon will unlock significant growth opportunities. The IDF grant will assist the TRA in creating a more efficient telecommunications sector to attract investment, create jobs, and rebuild the Lebanese economy.

Since its establishment, the TRA aims at continuously building its capacity through the development of human resources, the sharing of knowledge with regional and international organizations, and through ensuring the necessary funds to provide the country with the latest equipment which will lead to market liberalization and consumer rights protection.