LEBANON - Lebanon’s Office of the Minister of State for Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence has published a draft national artificial intelligence strategy outlining plans to expand AI adoption, digitize public services and strengthen the country’s technology sector, with targets including a $4 billion contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) and $2 billion in AI-enabled exports by Year 5.
Titled “The Next Republic is Digital,” the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2032 is open for public consultation, according to the strategy’s official website. It proposes a national framework built around five pillars: empowering individuals, supporting economic growth, improving quality of life, increasing government effectiveness and establishing the necessary national enablers.
The document sets out targets for the first five years of implementation, including training one million people to use AI tools, developing 15,000 production-grade AI builders and helping more than 1.5 million people through AI-enabled services.
Economic Growth and Skills Development
The strategy aims to position Lebanon as a regional hub for AI applications by building on its technology workforce, small-business sector and international diaspora networks.
Rather than prioritizing the development of expensive semiconductor infrastructure, the plan proposes concentrating investment on AI applications, while pursuing selective opportunities in small language models and accessing cloud computing and processing capacity through partnerships.
The strategy also seeks to increase the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) actively using AI to 80,000 by Year 5, compared with a first-year target of 5,000. AI-enabled exports are projected to rise from $100 million in Year 1 to $2 billion by Year 5.
To expand access to AI tools, the plan proposes subsidized access to advanced AI services for one million Lebanese people and aims to develop a workforce capable of building and deploying AI systems.
Digitizing Public Services
Public administration is another central focus of the strategy, which targets the digitalization of 80% of government transactions by Year 5. It also seeks to place Lebanon among the top 30 countries in the United Nations E-Government Development Index.
The plan identifies 12 sector-specific missions covering financial integrity, cybersecurity, energy, water, telecommunications, agriculture, banking, robotics, industry, tourism, traffic management, government supply chains, public finance, land administration, reconstruction and housing.
Each mission is intended to have an accountable lead entity, an initial-year deliverable and a longer-term target. The document says implementation would be monitored through a public quarterly scoreboard.
Governance and Implementation
The proposed delivery framework includes a dedicated executive body, the Lebanese Executive Delivery Authority for AI (LEDAIA), alongside an AI National Council involving representatives from the private sector, diaspora, universities and civil society.
The strategy divides implementation into three stages: establishing governance and securing initial contracts in Year 1, expanding successful initiatives in Years 2 and 3, and achieving broader national adoption in Years 4 and 5.
It also proposes a $150 million National AI Fund, alongside a target of attracting more than $500 million in private-sector and diaspora investment.
The document describes its initiatives as illustrative and non-exhaustive, with implementation subject to consultation and the participation of relevant ministries.
Public Consultation
The draft strategy is open for public comment until October 31, 2026, with the consultation welcoming contributions from people in Lebanon and Lebanese citizens living abroad.
Participants are invited to share feedback on the strategy’s proposed targets, first-year priorities and approach to AI adoption. The consultation provides an opportunity for the public to contribute to shaping Lebanon’s proposed national framework for artificial intelligence before implementation.
