Ministry launches “help desk” to back Lebanese businesses

In a move aimed at strengthening Lebanon’s fragile private sector, the Ministry of Economy and Trade, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funded by the Government of Canada, has launched the National Trade Help Desk, a platform designed to support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Unveiled in Beirut in the presence of diplomatic representatives, private sector stakeholders, and the Chambers of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture, the initiative seeks to centralize trade-related information, streamline procedures, and facilitate access to markets.

“A structural intervention, not just a platform”

Speaking to The Beiruter, Minister of Economy and Trade Dr. Amer Bisat framed the Help Desk as part of a broader reform agenda. “While this initiative may appear operational in nature, it is in fact a structural intervention within a wider reform trajectory,” he said. Lebanon’s MSMEs represent between 90 and 95 percent of private businesses and employ roughly half of the country’s workforce, making them the backbone of the economy.

“They create jobs, keep markets alive, and continue to innovate despite constraints,” Bisat says.

Yet many of them struggle not only with access to capital, but with navigating complex procedures and unclear regulations.

The National Trade Help Desk aims to address precisely that gap, acting as a bridge between policy and enterprise by combining digital tools with regional support mechanisms.

“This is not an isolated initiative,” the minister added. “It is part of a broader effort to strengthen Lebanon’s business environment. It marks a major milestone in the digitalization and automation of the Ministry, and a tangible step forward in advancing wider governmental reform.”

Signs of resilience amid crisis

During a live demonstration of the platform, Director General of the Ministry of Economy and Trade Dr. Mohammed Abou Haidar highlighted a striking statistic.

“At the beginning of the economic crisis, trademark registrations stood at 3,550,” he says. “Today, they have reached 8,800.” “This rise indicates confidence in local industry, agriculture, and the domestic market,” he said.

The automation of intellectual property processes will also help bring citizens closer to these services.

Reform through digitalization

As Lebanon continues to grapple with economic contraction, currency instability, and institutional paralysis, efforts to modernize administrative systems have been repeatedly cited as essential for recovery.

The National Trade Help Desk positions itself at the intersection of reform and recovery, reducing information barriers, improving regulatory clarity, and lowering the bureaucratic burden on businesses. In an economy where small and medium enterprises carry disproportionate weight, even incremental structural improvements could have outsized impact. For a private sector long navigating crisis alone, the message from the Ministry is clear: reform, is meant to be operational.