Government Launches Digital Transformation Initiative in Social Services Sector

Lebanon Today

The Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at developing the digital infrastructure of the Ministry of Social Affairs.
The memorandum aims to integrate the Ministry of Social Affairs into the national digital transformation system, in a way that enhances the efficiency, transparency, and sustainability of social services.
This step comes as a new reform measure on the path to modernizing public administration and consolidating digital governance in Lebanon.

The press conference was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Social Affairs in the presence of the Minister: Hanine El Sayed, the Minister of Displaced Persons and the Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Kamal Shehadi, along with representatives of the European Union, the World Food Program, the United Kingdom, and a number of ambassadors and technical and international partners.

In her speech, Minister El Sayed clarified that “technological progress is no longer a luxury or an additional option, but rather an essential tool for achieving social justice and good governance.”
She also affirmed that “technology today is not far from our social work, but rather it is the beating heart of every administration seeking to serve people efficiently and transparently.”

She added that “signing the memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Technology is more than an administrative agreement, it is a real reform step towards modernizing public administration, enhancing transparency and accountability, and developing services that put people at the heart of public policies.”

El Sayed also clarified that “the digital transformation that we are launching today is the gateway to structural reform,” noting that the ministry’s work is based on three basic pillars:

Establishing a unified registry of beneficiaries to integrate databases and ensure fairness in the distribution of support,
Connecting the 165 social development centers with a unified network to exchange information in real time,
Launching the Central Information Management System (“Core MIS”) to organize internal work, improve performance, and speed up decision-making.

For his part, Minister Kamal Shehadi affirmed that “the memorandum of understanding is more than a paper of cooperation, it is a practical step towards building a digital state that truly serves people.”
He also explained that the goal of establishing the Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence “was not only to establish a new ministry, but to lay the foundations for a unified digital system for the Lebanese state that makes ministries work in integration, not separation.”

He pointed out that the work teams in the two ministries have completed, during the past months, a digital strategy for the Ministry of Social Affairs 2025–2027, which included reviewing all existing social systems and platforms such as “DAEM” and “NDA”, with the aim of unifying data and avoiding duplication and waste, within an integrated plan that is in line with the national digital infrastructure.

Shehadi also pointed out that “the new systems are designed to integrate with future state projects such as digital identity, electronic payment, and government portals,” stressing that the office of the Minister of State will provide technical and advisory support in the areas of artificial intelligence, data protection, and cybersecurity, while the Ministry of Social Affairs remains the executive reference for projects.

At the conclusion of the conference, the two ministers thanked the European Union, the World Food Program, and the United Kingdom for their continued support for the development of digital and social systems in Lebanon.
They also affirmed that “this cooperation constitutes a model for a true national partnership between state institutions in order to build a humane digital administration that puts technology in the service of development, and development in the service of people.”