Meet some of the many successful Arab-origin businessmen that have shaped the region’s construction and real estate sectors.
Qatar Petroleum announced that it has awarded a number of contracts related to Qatar’s LNG expansion project.
Education for Employment (EFE) held a Summit on the 5th and 6th of March 2019, titled the “Transformative Power of a First Job” luncheon and partner award ceremony. Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) was awarded the “Employee Partner Award” in recognition of its extraordinary impact for unemployed youth in the Middle East and North Africa which was accepted on behalf of CCC by Mr Nafez Husseini.
Correspondingly, CCC awarded Mr Ron Bruder, Chair of EFE, with a “Master Builder of Humanity Bridges” Award in recognition of his outstanding influence for the unemployed youth in the MENA region. Mr. Ron Bruder accepted the award, wearing the CCC helmet that was conferred to him by Mr Samer Khoury.
EFE is an NGO that bridges the gap between education and employment for tens of thousands of youth in the Middle East. EFE operates as a network of locally-run affiliates in Jordan, Tunisia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt and Palestine.
CCC began working with EFE in 2006 as the organization’s first employer partner, hiring EFE graduates from Palestine, Jordan, Yemen, and Tunisia. CCC’s involvement in the EFE’s training programs has created a customized workforce development scheme opening job opportunities for the participants. From the perspective of a potential employer, CCC works closely with EFE to ensure their training programs are driven by market demands and provide participants with effective skills and competencies. Several CCC-EFE training programs have been launched to transfer specific knowledge in construction management, planning, quality assurance, budget controls and land surveying to unemployed youth. For more than a decade CCC has hired EFE alumni from various areas in roles ranging from construction managers and land surveyors to accountants and administrative assistants.
To view the EFE Summit, follow the MBC morning show Sabah Al Khair Ya Arab, from MBC News, or from Alarabiya.
February 1, 2019, marked CCC’s opening ceremony day of the newly rehabilitated public school of Manguna (Escola Primaria Completa De Manguna) in Mozambique. As part of CCC’s Corporate Volunteering Program, CCC volunteers rehabilitated the school building which had not been maintained since its establishment in 1960. After assessing the status and condition of the school, CCC volunteers undertook a four month project to paint the outside and inside walls of two school buildings, offices, the school director’s accommodation and replaced the broken roof sheets with new ones. Internal works included the painting of walls, the replacement of roof girders and sheets and the coating of black boards.
Situated just one kilometre away from CCC’s Palma Afungi Road Project, and where many of CCC’s workers come from, Manguna School had neither toilets nor running water and CCC volunteers addressed this by building new toilets for students and teachers with septic tanks and installing a borehole with a hand pump near the school, providing not only the students but also the whole community access to water.
The opening ceremony was attended by CCC staff members, community leaders, school committee members as well as school teachers and students. CCC representatives officially handed the school over to the School Committee Members and provided the school with books and stationery.
This project falls under CCC’s Corporate Social Responsibility priority for education and addresses the social needs of communities where CCC operates.
In line with CCC’s commitment to support local communities, CCC signed a cooperation agreement with the Municipality of Maroussi, in Athens, Greece to reopen its Center for the Disabled which was closed down due to lack of funds.
CCC’s operation support of the Municipality’s Center will ensure that that people with disabilities continue to receive the care they need for the year 2019.
During the signing ceremony of the Cooperation Agreement by the Mayor of Maroussi George Patoulis and the President of the Human Resources of CCC, Suheil Sabbagh, Mr Patoulis said: “In order to offer equal access to entertainment, creative expression and engagement for all our fellow citizens, we are cooperating with the productive forces of our city who share the same social sensitivity with us, in order to re-operate the care home for people with disabilities in our city”.
As Dubai wrapped up the Middle East’s largest construction exhibition – The Big 5 – last week, it became clear that new technologies are transforming the region’s construction sector.
In New York, USA on November 6, 2018, CCC participated in the Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) Community Fall Meeting.
The World Economic Forum (WEF), based in Switzerland, is an International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas with the aim of improving the state of the world.
Every year, WEF brings together top business leaders, international political leaders, economists, journalists and celebrities for up to four days to discuss the most serious issues facing the world.
The organization also provides a platform for its members in sector-specific initiatives. One such initiative, that CCC is a founding member of, is the Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI).
In an effort to combat corruption, PACI was launched by CEOs from the engineering, construction, energy, metals and mining industries during the annual meeting that was held in Davos in January 2004. Presently, approximately 140 top companies are members of the PACI initiative. PACI has become the prime business channel on transparency and anti-corruption.
CCC participated in PACI’s fall meeting, which took place 6 November 2018 in New York, USA. The meeting focused on:
Speakers included:
On 8-9 November 2018, in Beirut, Lebanon CCC participated in the annual conference of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) focusing on the theme of “Financing Sustainable Development in Arab Countries”. The conference hosted 420 delegates from 36 countries representing governments, civil society organizations, academic institutions and corporations. Several regional and international organizations active in the field of sustainable development, environmental policies and the banking sectors took part. Delegates included representation from the World Bank, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) regional hub for the Arab Countries, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Islamic Development Bank and the Kuwait Fund.
CCC was represented by Mr Nafez Husseini Vice President Information Systems, Technology & Sustainability. “Our attendance at the AFED conference underscores our dedication in addressing sustainability issues such as climate change concerns, environmental policies and anti-corruption in the MENA region and the construction industry,” Mr Husseini said.
Discussions focused on financing for sustainable development in Arab countries and implementing goals, as defined by the Paris Climate Change Agreement and United Nations 2030 Agenda. Country strategies, corporate experiences, case studies and environmental policies enabling investments in sustainable development programs were also presented. The conference confirmed the findings of AFED’s recent report about the region’s funding gap towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and underlined the severe effects of climate change, corruption and conflict on sustainable development and the region’s economy.
Conference sessions emphasized on tackling corruption in the Arab world and proposed a roadmap for establishing good governance and transparency. Mr Nafez Husseini said this occasion was a beneficial opportunity to compare CCC’s internal anti-corruption procedures with the processes suggested by expert organizations such as ESCWA, UNDP and OECD. “CCC’s Ethics and Anti-Corruption program (EACP) is truly advanced and in compliance with the global anti-corruption standards” he said.
The need for the private sector to take bold actions against climate change and in particular investing in sustainable energy was also stressed at the conference. CCC adheres to these principles by concentrating on sustainable resource management and energy use.
As part of our 2016/17 Ramadan philanthropy campaign, Consolidated Contractors Company has supported the Al Nayzak initiative. Al Nayzak is Palestinian non-profit, non- partisan, Jerusalemite and unique initiative that looks for young talents in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and plants an ambitious vision in the hearts of the Palestinian community. The organization’s vision aims to create an Innovative Palestinian society, capable of producing original scientific knowledge, integrated with sustainable development.
Al Nayzak unveiled its flagship Innovation Park in East Jerusalem on the 19th of October, 2018 under the theme of “Building the Future”. Jerusalem Innovation Park is the first of its kind holistic complex for education, learning, science communication and culture, focusing on the Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Math (STEEM) at the heart of East Jerusalem.
Al Nayzak inaugurated a scientific exhibition titled “Electricity: What is behind the socket”; an original creation of Universcience in Paris. The Exhibition is the largest in scale Al Nayzak has brought to Palestine from Universcience in the framework of a partnership to bring innovative educational tools to the Palestinian audience.
Thank you CCC Employees!